The Eridium Blight
by DeathDealerWolf
Summary: Draco is looking for any way out of the mission the Dark Lord has given him. The Vault Hunters have found a new vault key. When the Room of Requirement summons the Vault Hunters to Draco's aid, it triggers the growth of Eridium, a powerful substance that seems to affect Wizards, Witches, and Sirens alike. And a super powered Voldemort poses a threat to every world.
1. Chapter 1: The Vault Hunters

**A/N**: This idea came to me a while back, so i decided to take a crack at it. For those of you who aren't familiar with Borderlands, it takes place on alien worlds and involves Sirens, which are like elemental witches, and lots of cool technology. This will be told mainly from a Draco/Hermione point of view, with other characters once in a while. I will make sure to explain everything that exists from the Borderlands universe clearly for the Harry Potter only reads. Let me know what you think. - Wolf

Chapter 1: The Vault Hunters

* * *

Lilith, Maya, Zer0 and Brick were huddled behind a Hyperion shipping container, hiding in the shadow of a tall cliff that over looked the shipping yard.

"I don't know about this one, Lil. Ever since this morning, I can't shake this feeling that this mission is a mistake."

"Come on, Maya. It's not the first time our power went a little weird…"

"A little weird? Lil, you phased Sanctuary into the Eridium Blight in your sleep. And Maya had Zer0 dancing around with Axton like a goddamn puppet."

"Yes, thank you for the reminder, Brick."

"I would rather not relive that unpleasant experience. To be without control of my body and mind is… unsettling…"

"Zer0, I said I was sorry. I didn't know what I was doing…"

"Do not apologize. Learn from your mistakes, Miss Maya. It is all any of us can do."

Maya nudge Zer0 affectionately.

Lilith ECHO crackled to life.

"Lilith, Fire Teams Bravo, Charlie, and Delta are in position. Waiting on your go."

A low, guttural laugh emanating from Bricks throat, and he punched a fist into his palm.

"Let's go. I'm getting hungry."

The sirens grinned at each other, while Zer0 digistructed his sword.

"Alright guys! Let's do it!"

* * *

Draco sat in the Room of Requirement, silent, waiting for any signs of life from the Vanishing Cabinet. Nothing. He wretched open the door, only to find the songbird he had placed inside there moments ago dead, lying on the bottom, with a wing, and its entire head missing. Growling in frustration, he slammed the cabinet shut, and made his way out.

_This isn't working. I can't afford to fail now. Not with the Dark Lord holding my family hostage. Poor Mother…_

Draco sighed, and leaned against the corridor, watching the Room of Requirement disappear into nothingness, leaving just a blank wall. He was surprised when he first learned of it in his fifth year, and it had become invaluable in his efforts now. A room that gives you anything you require in your time of need. How much better could it get?

Suddenly, Draco stood straighter. Anything?

He mentally kicked himself for not thinking of this earlier. Why not work towards freeing and protecting his family, instead of helping You-Know-Who. But what did he need exactly? The room's rules left little room for error. And if he managed to free his parents, what then? What would he do with the Death Eaters calling for his head? He would have to go into hiding. But where could they be safe from the Dark Lord?

The only answer he could think of made him groan. The Order of the Phoenix. They could protect them, but would they? SHOULD they? The Malfoys weren't exactly the most endearing family, and his father's prejudice towards Mudbloods and Muggles in general would only serve as a barrier between them.

No matter. He would deal with that later. Now to business. Should he ask for a place to hide his family? A way to kill the Dark Lord? A way to earn the trust of the Order?

He mulled it over in his head for a long time before coming to his conclusion. As he begun to walk back and forth in the corridor, he kept the same thought in his head.

_I need a way to free my family, and keep them safe from the dangers to come._

* * *

Lilith phased in with Maya close to the Badass Constructor, while Brick let out a war cry, and ran in, pausing only to pummel any constructors in his way. Zer0 ran is as well, or so it would seem. Hyperion Engineers attempted to hit him, but fell from savage cuts from an unknown source, or exploded from fire, acid, electrical, and slag burns from kunai thrown from nowhere.

"Hurry everyone! We need that Vault key!"

An engineer came up behind Maya, knocking her down. She turned to face him, but too slowly. As he prepared to brain her with his hydraulic arms, a sword pierced his chest, and he was lifted off his feet and tossed aside. The air shimmered, and Zer0 stood in front of her.

"Thanks, Z"

"I will watch your back / Whenever you are in need / I won't be far away."

Maya grinned, and took his outstretched hand to stand up.

"Are you two done?" Lilith asked impatiently, as she dissolved a constrictor with a corrosion grenade.

They regrouped around a shipping container that was guarded by a Hyperion Competitor Deterrence Field.

"This it?" Lilith asked?

"I'm pretty sure." Mordecai responded through her ECHO device. "They have been guarding that thing for the last 24 hours, and every other container has been moved since then."

"Alright then. Claptrap! You're up."

"Mwhahahaha! It is time for my revenge!" the robot announced as he rolled through the crowd of Crimson Raiders and Vault Hunters.

"Sweet Mother, does he ever shut up?" one Raider muttered.

Claptrap zoomed his way through the death wall, and started punching in commands on the other side. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand OPEN!" he proclaimed as the wall deactivated.

"Good work. Now let's get this Vault Key, and get the hell out of here." Lilith said, nursing her aching shoulder.

The four vault hunters approached the container slowly, as the rest of the Raiders backed up and spread out, weapons drawn.

"Brick, take a step to your left. You're blocking Hammerlock's line of sight." Mordecai radioed in.

Brick muttered something about punching someone, and took a step to his left.

Maya took a deep breath, and using her siren powers, opened the container quickly.

There was a single, solitary crate lying in the middle of the container. It had Hyperion makings all around it, with 'Do Not Open' and 'Extremely Dangerous' labels covering it.

Zer0 stepped forward and cut the straps holding the box in place and used his sword to cut through the locks holding the box closed.

They gathered around the box, and Lilith slowly removed the cover.

Inside, there was a ton of packaging filler. They dug their way through, until Maya froze suddenly. "Guys, I think I got it." She withdrew her hand, holding a rather large gold key.

"What the hell? I thought it would look like the last Vault Key." Brick said.

"All Vaults are not equal / This vault must more unique / This is a riddle."

"Well said, Z. Now shut up and let me look at this thing."

Lilith turned the key over in her hands. There was a rather ornate crest on the head of the key. Four creatures, each one in its own square of the crest, and in a different color. She read the name at the top of the key.

"Hogwarts… what the hell?"

Suddenly, the container shook, and the doors slammed shut.

"Where the hell do you think you are going?" a voice came through the ECHO. "You are under arrest for the murder of Handsome Jack!"

"Like hell we are. Guys, link hands!" Lilith yelled, returning her weapon to the storage unit. The others followed suit and grabbed each other's hands. "Hold on. I'll get us back to Sanctuary."

She started to phase them out, and noticed the key started to glow blue and vibrate violently. She ignored it, her priority now her fellow Vault Hunters. She felt her powers flare, and they were all sucked into the Æther.

* * *

As the door reappeared in the hallway, Draco was thrilled. Finally, a way out of this mess. He reached for the handle, and found it locked. He frowned, and pulled out his wand. "Alohamora!" he said, pointing at the lock. Nothing.

He growled angrily, as he drew his foot back to kick the door.

"What are you doing, Malfoy?" a voice said down the corridor.

He froze mid kick, and turned to see Hermione Grander and Ginny Weasley staring at him, books in hand.

"Nothing. I couldn't get the door open, and I left my bag inside." He replied curtly. "Stupid piece of-" He kicked the door, and began to walk away, when a resonating bang shook the door violently. He spun around, wand at the ready, sure that Granger had done it, and saw that her and the Weaslette had also drawn their wands, but were pointing it at the door.

"What the bloody hell did you do, Granger?!"

"It wasn't me! I don't-" She was cut off by another crash on the other side of the door. The two Gryffindors moved opposite of the door, and Malfoy moved slightly in front of them. "What the hell…" he muttered.

Then, there was the sound of a key being inserted into the lock on the door, and the handle slowly turned.

The door opened quickly, and the three students stood face to face with four of the most unusual people they have ever seen.

Two fairly attractive women with ornate looking tattoos, one man in a all black suit and helmet, which covered his face, and a mammoth of a man, with muscles bulging from everywhere that made Crabbe and Goyle look like twigs.

"Who are you?" the woman with red hair asked.

"Who are _you_?" Draco countered.

"Malfoy," Hermione muttered quietly. "Don't antagonize them."

He would have responded, but the gorilla-sized man, punched his fist into his palm, and the man in the black suit pulled a sword from what looked like thin air. The two women's tattoo's began to glow, and a pulsating light emanated the from the blue-haired one's hands.

Suddenly, there was movement all around them, as various teachers, and members of the Order of the Phoenix appeared, their wands pointed at the four newcomers.

They reached for something on their belts, but they all had confused looks on their faces when nothing happened.

"Everyone, stop. Do nothing," a voice rang out from behind the group of teachers.

Albus Dumbledore had seen his share of the oddities of the world, but nothing like these people who were now in his school. "My name is _Albus_Percival Wulfric Brian _Dumbledore, and I am headmaster of this school. I respectfully ask why you are here." His voice was clear, and calm._

_The group of newcomers all looked at the girl with red hair, and she sighed. "I don't want to hurt anyone that doesn't deserve it, and I don't know you yet, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. My name is Lilith." She motioned to the other woman. "This is Maya. The walking tank is Brick, and the tall one is Zer0."_

_"Lil, we need to get out of here." _

_"I know, Maya. Hush."_

_Dumbledore approached the group slowly, taking them all in. "Welcome. But again I ask, why are you here?"_

_"We are Vault Hunters. We were trapped, and I phased- I mean teleported us out, but we ended up here. The key we had… recovered from an enemy group opened the only door in that room." She motioned to the door behind her, and was shocked to see it gone, replaced by a blank wall. She involuntarily took a step backwards, getting her closer to Draco, Hermione, and Ginny. _

_"Don't move!" one of the Order yelled, and sent a spell over her head._

_Brick growled and took a step towards the man who shot at Lilith, and the man they called Zer0 shimmered, but stayed in place._

_"Brick, don't!" Lilith yelled. "We need them to get out of here. Hell, we have no idea where here is!"_

_Brick stood still, eyeing the man, who was shaking slightly out of fear of the beast in front of him._

_Suddenly, Hermione screamed. She was no longer behind Draco, but off to the side, and she looked like she had been petrified. _

_"Zer0! Don't! Let her go!" Maya called, not looking at the man she addressed behind her, but at Hermione._

_Draco was about to comment, but to his amazement, the man disappeared, and suddenly reappeared behind Hermione, holding a sword to her neck._

_The room exploded in shouts and threats, all wands now aimed at Hermione and Zer0._

_"SILENCE!" Dumbledore's voice cut through the chaos, and the walls echoed with his command. He looked at the man holding his student hostage. "This is not an answer. You would not kill an innocent woman, would you?"_

_Zer0 looked back at him, his mask giving no answer but a reflection of Dumbledore. _

_"Zer0, please." Maya moved closer, causing her to draw some of the Order's attention. She ignored them, focusing on her friend. "Don't do this. I am…. scared… I need you. Please." She held her breath, waiting. Zer0 seemed to be deep in thought, and finally relaxed his hold on Hermione, his sword disappearing into thin air. _

_Hermione jumped away from his quickly, desperate for anyone else, which unfortunately the closest one was Draco. He gasped in shock as she threw her arms around him and sobbed uncontrollably into his shoulder. He was extremely uncomfortable with her so close to him, but felt doing nothing would look terrible, so he wrapped and arm around her, and stroked her hair with the other. "Shhh…. It's over now," he whispered to her quietly, pulling them away from the center of attention. _

"Now, I will ask you all to come with me. We have much to discuss. Also, I will need Severus, Minerva Draco, Hermione, Ginevra, Harry, and Remus. The rest of you, stand guard until we find out where our defenses have been breached." The rest of the Order slowly left, taking up their normal positions, leaving the four newcomers, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Lupin, Harry, Ron, Ginny, Hermione, and Draco in the corridor.

"If you all will follow me?" Dumbledore lead the way to the Headmasters office, the four Vault Hunter behind him, followed by the Order members, then the students. Hermione hadn't released her death grip on Draco, causing his arm to fall asleep, but he couldn't bring himself to force her off of him. He wasn't sure he would have reacted much better to what happened.

"Hermione, are you alright?" Ron asked her softly.

No response.

"Hermione, it's okay. It's all over. You can let go of Malfoy now." Harry tried.

Still nothing.

Ginny tried to put her hand on her shoulder to comfort her, but Hermione jumped suddenly, and latched harder onto Draco.

"Ow! Bloody hell, thanks Weaslette. She's got nails and she's using them now." Malfoy winced as moving caused her grip to tighten. "Go on ahead, I'll get her there. Slowly, but with less bloodshed than if you three helped."

"Like hell we are leaving her alone with you, Malfoy!" Ron snarled.

"Whatever, Weasel King. Just get out of the way then." Draco rolled his eyes at redhead as he slowly moved past them. "Come on, Granger. We're going to go see Dumbledore." She nodded slowly, loosening her grip just so she wouldn't draw blood. Well, more blood.

They made their way slowly up the staircase, until they met up with the rest of the group, who were waiting for them.

"My apologies, Professor. Granger is still in shock, I think." Draco said, before the other three could say anything.

"It is quite alright, Draco. While she should be in the hospital wing, she needs to be here for this." Dumbledore turned towards the newcomers. "I ask that while you remain in the school, you refrain from threatening my students. I will not hesitate to use any means necessary to ensure their safety."

While his voice was calm, the power that radiated from him was intense. The wizards and witches in the room felt the prickling of power rolling through them, and the siren marks on Lilith and Maya pulsed softly.

"Not a problem." Lilith said, unnerved by the old man's aura. "I just want to get home."

"Then let us see why you have been sent here. "

Draco shifted uncomfortably as the group began to ascend the spiral staircase. He had a sinking feeling it was his fault that they were here. That what happened to Granger was his fault. His guilt is what stopped him from throwing her off. Whoever these new people were, he just hoped they could help him without causing the rest of the world to hate him for it. Looking at the muscles on the one they called Brick, he laughed softly to himself. He was so screwed.


	2. Chapter 2: Short Change Heroes

Draco and Hermione made their way slowly up the spirals staircase, as she was still clinging to him, it made walking side by side rather difficult.

"Listen, Granger. While I completely understand that fact that anyone would love an excuse to hang all over me, this is getting ridiculous."

Hermione responded by nudging him with her head under his chin. "Shut up…"

"Okay, first off: oww. And secondly: if you hate me so much, let go."

She stayed silent for a minute, her eyes darting around to check if anyone was in earshot, then whispered, "Don't let him near me…"

Draco raised his eyebrows in surprise. He never thought he would see the day that Granger became so unglued as to ask a Malfoy for help. This girl had stood up to Death Eaters, but one man had unraveled her completely. He gently peeled her off of his arm, and held her face in his hands, and he looked into her eyes, searching for a reason.

"Granger, what did he do to you?"

She looked away, shaking her head. "You wouldn't understand, Malfoy." She sighed, and started to climb the stairs slowly, hanging onto the wall. "Come on. They are waiting for us."

Draco frowned at her. There was no way that he was going to let this one go, but they _did_ have more pressing matters at hand.

He sighed, and fought down a chill crawling up his spine. He was responsible for these four outsiders being here. He was sure of it. He had asked the Room of Requirement for a way out, and in some sick and twisted way, they were it. So he felt responsible for Granger's predicament.

_Careful, mate._ His inner voice told him. _She's a Mudblood. You don't want to be going soft on those kinds. If the Dark Lord didn't want to kill you already, he _definitely _would if you showed anything but loathing and contempt for blood traitors._

"Maybe I want to piss the Dark Lord off. Ever consider that?" he muttered to himself under his breath.

_Oh yeah, that's going to _really_ help. Maybe he'll feel bad for your parents and won't kill them immediately too?_

He groaned. His life really was going to hell. If these four were the ticked out, so be it. He just wondered how many toes he'd have to step on to get out.

* * *

"Mr. Malfoy. Thank you for gracing us with your presence." Snape said sarcastically. "Perhaps you can enlighten us as to why you were in the 7th floor corridor in the first place?"

"Severus." Dumbledore said softly. "I'm sure Draco has his reasons. But that will have to wait." He turned to the four newcomers. "As I have said before, I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of the School. No harm will come to you here, unless you wish to harm us in return."

"We don't want to harm anyone." Lilith replied. "We just want to know how the hell we got here, why we are here, and how the hell do we get back to Sanctuary."

"Sanctuary?" asked McGonagall.

The four Vault Hunters exchanged a look between themselves.

"We aren't on Pandora anymore, are we?" the Maya asked.

"Pandora is a planet, I'm assuming?" Snape asked, suddenly less aggressive.

"Yeah… I mean, we know there are other planets, but… I mean, we were there one second, and in that damn room the next." Lilith frowned. "I mean, I know I was phasing us out of there, but I didn't think I would move us PLANETS away…"

Dumbledore stood up slowly, and approached her, eyeing her interestingly. "You are not a witch… But I feel the unmistakable energy of someone who can use magic surrounding you and your companion." He gestured towards the other girl. "I mean no disrespect, but… What are you?"

Lilith shared a look with the Maya. Maya shrugged in response, and then replied, "It's up to you."

Lilith turned back to Dumbledore and replied, "Well, Brick is just a normal- well, almost normal guy, and Zer0 is…" She paused, considering her choice of words. "Zer0 is different. Maya and I are… Sirens."

Draco raised his eyebrow in confusion. _A Siren? What the hell is that?_

"I must say, I am unfamiliar with Sirens. Can you elaborate?" Dumbledore asked politely.

The two Sirens looked at each other, each wondering how to explain something that _they_ barely understood.

"Well… There are only six Sirens in the universe at any given time… And we know of four at the moment, but that doesn't really matter. We are like…. elemental witches. We use out powers, and sometimes Eridium to inflict elemental damage, or phase… stuff." Lilith scratched her head. "I can phasewalk, which is like teleporting. Maya can phaselock, which means she can hold a person, or object in place inside of a psychic sphere. And we can both inflict more damage while doing out respective… talents."

The room looked at the as if they had just grown extra limbs, except for Dumbledore and the other two Vault Hunters.

"Interesting… So, you teleported, meaning to go to your home, but you ended up here… Very interesting…" Dumbledore began to pace back and forth. "This castle is extremely well protected against intruders. Right now, we are in the middle of a conflict between two opposing views. The light side, which is us, believes all witches and wizards are equal. But the Death Eaters, the dark side, believe that only purebloods should exist, and all half and muggleborns should be eradicated."

"Muggleborn?" Maya asked.

"Witches or wizards born from non-magical parentage." Dumbledore answered.

"What a bunch of pompous arseholes" Brick muttered. "I mean, I believe everyone has to earn their respect, but everyone also has the _right_ to earn it, not have that decision made for them."

"Our sentiments exactly." McGonagall said. "We work to rid the world of these ideals, so that everyone has the right to grow up as equals, and not judge by their parents."

Snape cleared his throat, then said, "While this is all well and good, we are getting sidetracked. We need to know how these four breached our defenses."

"Yes, Severus. Forgive us." Dumbledore replied. He then turned back to the Vault Hunters. "So what exactly were you doing before you ended up here?"

"Well, we were grabbing a Vault Key from Hyperion, and then we got trapped inside a shipping container, so I tried to phase us all out. The Vault Key started acting very weird, then we were transported here."

"And do you still have this Vault Key?" Snape asked.

"Yeah. It's right here." Lilith pulled out the key for the room to see. Draco and the three Gryffindors were closest to her, so when they saw the crest on the top of the key, they froze.

"Professor…" Draco said slowly. "That's Hogwarts' crest."

Dumbledore stride forward, and Lilith handed him the key into his good hand. He turned it over, studying it with great detail. "This is no accident. You four were meant to come here. I wonder if the key itself was responsible for you coming here, or if there was a greater power at work."

Draco coughed, and looked at his feet. "Umm, sir?"

"Yes Draco, what is it?"

"Umm… I might know what happened…"

Everyone in the room gazed on him with interested stares, and he felt extremely uncomfortable at that moment.

"Well, please. Enlighten us, Mr. Malfoy." McGonagall responded.

"It's kind of a long story… And I need you all to swear that if never leaves this room." Draco looked around, waiting for a confirmation from everyone. Dumbledore, Snape, and McGonagall nodded. The Vault Hunters shrugged and nodded as well. Draco turned to the Gryffindors.

"What's it worth to you, Malfoy?" Harry replied, his eyes narrowed.

"Mr. Potter! He has done nothing to earn your attitude." McGonagall snapped at him. "10 points from Gryffindor, and you may leave if you wish."

Harry moved away from the wall. "Fine. I don't want anything to do with him anyways." He started for the door. "C'mon Ginny. Hermione."

Ginny followed him, but Hermione stayed still. "Umm, Harry?"

"What?" Harry spat at her.

She seemed to gather her nerve a bit, the replied, "I'm gunna stay. We need to know what's going on." She looked at her feet as if they were suddenly the most interesting thing in the world.

Harry stopped, and seemed to consider responding, but kept it to himself. "Fine. Fill us in later then." And with that, Harry and Ginny left.

"So…" Lilith said into the silence. "This is all one big, happy family…"

"You must forgive Harry. His emotions tend to get the best of him." Dumbledore said. "Now Draco, you were saying?"

Draco wished he could somehow sink into the floor. "Yeah… Umm… So, you all know my father is a Death Eater?" He looked around at the nods from the Order, the look of surprise from the Vault Hunters, and the slightly nauseated look from Hermione. "Well… I was given a job… by You-Know-Who."

Dumbledore and Snape shared a look, and Hermione gasped, covering her mouth.

"You-Know-Who?" Maya asked.

"Lord Voldemort." Dumbledore replies, causing four of the people in the room to flinch. "He is the Dark Lord, and leader of the Death Eaters. He and his minions are our foes."

Maya nodded slowly, and turned back to Draco.

"Yeah… So I was… working on it, and I was desperate. I just want to keep my family safe, and he said he would kill them if I failed…" Hermione emitted a small sound, between a gasp and a whimper. McGonagall looked as if she was going to be sick. "Well, I really didn't want to do it, and I was at the Room of Requirement, so I asked it for a way to keep my family safe, and get away… The door appeared, but I couldn't open it. That's when the other three found me, and then these four came out of the room."

There was a deafening silence that filled the room, and Draco wanted nothing more than to crawl into a corner and not leave.

"Mr. Malfoy." Dumbledore responded after a time. "If I may ask, what was this job that Lord Voldemort asked of you? As far as we know, you are not a Death Eater. So what could you do for him that another could not?"

Draco shivered slightly, and took a deep breath. He slowly rolled up his left sleeve. As he reached his elbow, the mark that was given to him was clear to the room. McGonagall turned away, shaking her hear. Snape shook his head, and muttered, "Stupid boy." Dumbledore stood still, staring into Draco's face, searching.

But at this revelation, Hermione lost it. "The Dark Mark, Malfoy?! You stupid, bloody idiot!" She took two quick strides to him, and punched his arm. "Why?!" she demanded. She smacked him again, as he made no motion to defend himself. "Answer me, you git! Why?!"

"What the hell was I supposed to do, Granger?! You-Know-Who was there, and he _told_ me to get it. You like to think you're all high and mighty, but I want to see you stand up to him and tell him no, when you are the only one there, and he is surrounded by all of his minions!"

Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but failed to come up with a viable answer. She huffed and turned away from him, going back to her spot against the wall, glaring at him.

"Mr. Malfoy. You understand there is an order to capture or kill all known Death Eaters." McGonagall asked him.

"I do, Professor." He replied quietly.

"Tell me, Mr. Malfoy." Dumbledore said. "What as this job?"

Draco swallowed, and tried to calm his nerves. "To open a way for Death Eaters into the castle… and to kill you, Professor."

Hermione gasped again, as did McGonagall. The four Vault Hunters looked amongst themselves, wondering what mess they found themselves in this time. However, Dumbledore smiled and Snape smirked.

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy, for your honesty. However, Severus and I were already aware of your mission."

Draco blinked. "What?"

"Between the two of us, the intent of your escapades did not remain a mystery to us for long. We have been monitoring your progress, and acted to limit the collateral damage. You see, Mr. Malfoy. I did not believe for a moment that you could bring yourself to harm me. You are much too good of a person for that. The proof is in your actions. When faced with the decision of killing me, and saving your parents, and sparing me and taking a difficult road to ensure your parents safety, you chose to save as many lives as possible." Dumbledore beamed at him.

"_I_ have no problem killing anyone…"

Everyone in the room turned towards Brick, looks varying from humorous to disbelief. He shrugged. "What? I don't. And if this kid is the reason we are here, maybe that is it. He can't kill anyone. But we could." He looked at his fellow Vault Hunters, and they all nodded.

Dumbledore and Draco shared a look. "He may be right, Mr. Malfoy. I do believe this Vault Key and Draco's request both lead to the same thing."

Brick laughed a deep, guttural laugh.

"So, Blondie. Who do you want us to kill?"

The Vault Hunters smiled. Planets, galaxies, maybe universes apart, but the world never changed. There was always someone who needed to die.

Draco smirked. "Let's fill you guys in on You-Know-Who."

Maya grinned. "I guess there is no rest for the wicked."


	3. Chapter 3: No Rest for the Wicked

**Disclamer: I don't own either of these. I am not JKR, nor do I work for Gearbox.**

**A/N: Sorry that the updates are at random times. I have to get in the mood to write, and it's easier some days than others. I am also trying to proof this story myself, so feel free to let me know if you find anything off, grammar or spelling. Please let me know how you like it. -DeathDealerWolf**

**Chapter 3: No Rest for the Wicked**

"So let me get this straight. Malfoy has been working on letting _Death Eaters_ into the castle. He also has been working on a plan to _kill_ Dumbledore. And now because of him, we have those four walking wrecking balls in the school. And Dumbledore expects us to _trust_ him?!" Harry was beyond furious.

"Harry, I get it. I really do. I don't trust that git farther than I can hex him." Hermione said, trying to calm her best friend before he murdered a certain blonde Slytherin. "But I heard what he told Dumbledore. He basically turned himself in. He said he would do anything to save his parents, including turning on Voldemort. He isn't a fanatical Death Eater anymore, Harry. He is a fanatical son, trying to do the right thing."

"But Mione," Ron countered. "You said he had the Dark Mark on him. The Dark Mark! You don't get that be being a friend of a friend of You-Know-Who! He was in deep, and he probably still is. I don't believe for a minute he is doing this for his family. He's doing it to save his own bloody skin!"

"Ron, you weren't there!" she protested.

Ron scowled. His had been in detention with Professor Flynn for not doing his Defense Against the Dark Arts homework. "It's not my fault…" he muttered under his breath.

"Yes, it is Ronald, and don't you dare say it wasn't just because I wouldn't let you copy my assignment." Hermione scolded him. "But back to what I was saying, you are failing to realize that even if he has a Dark Mark, he just showed it to three Order members. There is no way he could take that back. And in case you have forgotten, there is a capture or kill Order on all Death Eaters. So tell me, what does he gain from surrendering?"

Ron and Harry exchanged a look, neither of them coming up with a viable explanation. "I don't know, Hermione." Harry said quietly. "I just… I refuse to trust him. He's always been a slimy git, and until I see otherwise, I won't think differently."

"And I'm not asking you to. I don't trust him myself. But Dumbledore does. And if we can't trust Dumbledore, who can we trust?" Hermione pleaded.

Ron let out a loud sigh, and Harry looked at his feet. "You're right… I don't like it, but you are…" Harry muttered. After a long pause, he ran his hand through his untidy hair. "So now what?" he asked.

"Well, Malfoy, Snape and Dumbledore were going over the plans to invade Malfoy Manor to get his parents out. Then, I'm not sure. Maybe with those four psychos, we can attack You-Know-Who?"

Harry pondered this for a bit, and then shook his head. "It would definitely be easier with those guys, but we still can't. He still has those _things_ out there."

Hermione and Ron nodded grimly. They both knew about the Horcruxes, and Dumbledore's desire to have Harry help him find the rest of them. They had already destroyed Tom Riddle's diary, and Marvolo Gaunt's Ring, and they had a good idea what two of the other ones were, but no closer to actually finding them.

"Well, maybe they could help us find them? You never know." Ron said hopefully.

"Perhaps." Hermione replied thoughtfully, before standing up. "Anyways, I filled you two in, so let's get going. Dumbledore wants to talk to both of you, then we need to see about this raid."

"Wait." Ron stopped her. "He doesn't want us to actually _help_ Malfoy?"

"Well, of course Ronald. He came to Dumbledore and the Order for help, and we are going to give it to him. _Furthermore_," she said forcefully, as Ron tried to interrupt, "Dumbledore has specifically asked us to help, since we are technically the only people Malfoy knows in the Order. Grant it, we aren't official members, but that may change if we succeed." She looked at both of them questioningly. "So. Do you want to be in the Order, or not?"

Harry and Ron exchanged a look. Harry shrugged and Ron grumbled. "I'd rather it not be Malfoy, but whatever we need to do, I'm in." Harry said, not quiet believing himself, but his voice didn't waiver.

"Ugh.. Why Malfoy?!" Ron groaned loudly, turning away from the group with his hands in the air. After a second, he turned back, and sighed. "Yes, fine. Let's save Ferret-Boy and get this over with."

Hermione beamed at them. "You guys are the best." She pulled them into a hug, before turning to lead them back to the Headmaster's office.

"You know," Harry said quietly. "If we do this, Malfoy will be indebted to us forever."

Ron's face lit up. "Oh Merlin, this is going to be great. I wonder if we can get him to throw the Quidditch cup this year?"

"Hush, both of you." Hermione snapped. "And really Ron? All of this is going on, and you are worrying about the Quidditch cup?" Hermione shook her head and sighed. "Boys…"

* * *

As they entered the Headmaster's office, they found Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape huddled over Dumbledore's Pensive basin, obviously exploring a memory. The four Vault Hunters sat off to the side, fiddling with random electronic devices. They looked up when they entered the room.

"Oh, hey! You're back." The blue-haired one said. She stood up and strode over to them. "We never got properly introduced. I'm Maya." She stuck out her hand. Hermione shook it respectfully.

"I'm Hermione. This is Harry." Another handshake. "And Ron." Ron shook her hand, and almost looked like he didn't want to let go. Hermione rolled her eyes. "Just ignore them. That's what I do."

Maya chuckled, and the other three stood up to introduce themselves.

Hermione shook hands with the red-haired girl, who introduced herself as Lilith. Then she met the tall man with a helmet, who identified himself as Zer0. Hermione shook his hand, then felt a bit sick as she realized he only had four fingers on each hand. She then was introduced to Brick, who was a walking pile of muscles. She wondered if he was bigger than Hagrid. Maybe not as tall, but certainly as strong.

"So, yeah." Maya said. "They have been like that for about 10 minutes. I have no idea why, but… yeah. The kid did something with his head, and put it in there, and then they all stood over it, and stayed like that."

Hermione chuckled. "Yeah, it's called a Pensive. By kid, I'm assuming you mean Malfoy?" she asked.

Maya nodded. "Yeah. The blonde one."

"The cute one." Lilith added from the back of the room. Maya smiled at her friend, as Harry and Ron both made gagging noises.

"If you want a taste, you just need to ask," a voice behind them drawled. Hermione spun around to see Malfoy smirking behind them.

Hermione scoffed. "I didn't know you were so easy, Malfoy." She took a step to the side to let him pass through. He grinned, and took Maya's seat next to Lilith, and leisurely stretched out his legs, and put an arm around her. Lilith laughed and threw his arm off playfully.

"You may be that easy, Blondie, but I'm not." Lilith grinned at him. "Besides, I'm a bit old for you."

Malfoy bit his tongue, as did Harry. But Ron blurted out, "So how old are you?"

Malfoy sighed, as Harry groaned, and Hermione shook her head. "Honestly, Weasel? A gentleman never asks these things of a lady. Show some class." Malfoy smirked. Lilith laughed, and put her feet up on Malfoy's legs. He shot Ron a wicked grin, and proceeded to give her a foot massage.

Ron's ears went red, and he was about to reply, but Hermione put her hand up. "_Anyways_. What are the professors looking at, Malfoy?" she asked.

"My memories of the Manor." He replied carelessly. "Along with some of the other stuff we talked about. I'm just waiting until Dumbledore gives the all good, and we go and invade my house."

"Just as long as there are people to kill, and stuff to break." Brick replied, still fiddling with the mechanical box.

Draco turned around alarmed. "You most certainly won't break stuff! There are priceless artifacts in that house." Brick looked up at him, and grinned. Draco groaned, as Harry and Ron laughed quietly. After shooting them a glare, he turned back to Brick and asked, "What are you messing around with that box for, anyways?"

"They are Storage Decks." Lilith replied lazily, clearing enjoying the break from walking, along with Malfoy's massage. "We use them to digitally store our weapons, ammunition, and equipment."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Weapons? Equipment?" she asked.

Brick let out a barking laugh, which made everyone jump a bit. "Guns. Really. Big. Guns." He grinned at her, and she took a tiny step back and swallowed.

She took a moment to collect herself, then asked, "Are those devices electronic?"

"Yeah. Why?" Maya asked, leaning against the wall.

"Well…" Hermione began slowly. "Electronic equipment doesn't work here. The magical energy in the air overloads the circuits. You'd have to leave Hogwarts for it to work again."

The Vault Hunters shared a look amongst themselves. "Well, as long as we can get some stuff out before we go blow up Blondie's house, shouldn't be a problem." Lilith quipped.

Malfoy paled, but said nothing. He also stopped rubbing her feet. Laughing, she took them back, slipping on her shoes again. "Relax. We'll try to keep the destruction to a minimum, but if what the old guy said about your bad guy is true, we might need to crack a few skulls to get your parents out."

Malfoy nodded, still not speaking. The silence grew awkward. Maya cleared her throat. "Well, as exciting as this is, I'm feeling claustrophobic in this place. Can we go look around yet?"

"Yeah, the only guy said if we left the room, the rest of them wouldn't take kindly on it. And since we don't have any weapons, I really don't feel like taking them on in a fight. And yes, Brick," she interrupted, as he started to open his mouth. "I know it's not a problem for you." He closed his mouth.

"I can go ahead and recon if you wish, Lilith." Zer0 said, finally making his presence known.

"I think were okay for now. The old guy seemed legit, and I'd rather not step on any more toes than we have to. Unless it's Hyperion personnel. Then, we go out of our way to step on toes." Brick, Maya and Lilith laughed softly.

"Hyperion?" Draco wondered out loud.

"Yeah, it's a corporation that makes guns and crap, and they are trying to take over Pandora to mine the Eridium that is there for their own evil, galaxy dominating plans." Maya answered, shaking her head. "I will admit, when I said I wouldn't mind a vacation, this isn't what I had in mind."

Lilith laughed. "Still, it's a nice place. We could definitely hold off Hyperion better is we had a place like this." She looked around the room, taking it all in. "The pictures would have to go though. They creep me out a bit."

At that moment, the professors all took a step back from the Pensive, and turned to the crowd in the room.

"Ah, Miss Granger. I see you have rounded up Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley." Dumbledore smiled. "Are you both aware of the situation?"

Ron nodded, and Harry said, "For the most part. What do we need to do?"

"Well, I think we need to settle some pressing issues first." He slowly walked over his desk, and sat down. "Draco, please step forward."

Draco swallowed, but stood up and walked to the front of Dumbledore's desk. "Yes, sir?"

"In order for this plan to proceed, I need to know where your loyalties truly lie. Do you wish simply to rescue your parents from Lord Voldemort's wrath, or do you wish to put an end to his regime, once and for all?"

Draco took a deep breath, remembering the company he was in. "Sir, I won't lie to you. My parents are the most important thing to me. But, I also know that they will never be truly safe while the Dark Lord lives. If I have to kill him myself to ensure my family is safe, I will do so. I-" Draco faltered. "I know I have been a prat these last years, but you have to believe me when I say I was only doing what I was taught and ordered to since I was born. I honestly don't care about blood status, Death Eaters, or any of that crap. All it has done is brought me misery. I don't know what I can do to convince you that my intentions, while selfish in a sense, are good."

There was a deafening silence that filled the room. Harry, Ron and Hermione were all in too much shock to say anything. A Malfoy not caring about blood status? Impossible.

Snape smirked and clapped his hand on Draco's back. "That's my Godson. Finally using that brain of yours."

Draco grinned sheepishly. "I guess… I don't know how you go back to _him_ and not lose your cool. I can't stand being in the same room, let alone holding conversations with that git."

"Years of practice, and being an extraordinary and cunning sorcerer help." Snape said with a straight face. Hermione covered her smile with her hand, while Harry and Ron scoffed. Snape snapped his attention to them, and they fell silent. After a moment, he turned back to Dumbledore. "Well Albus?"

Dumbledore stood, and held out his arm. His phoenix, Fawkes, flew down from the rafters, and landed on his arm, nipping him affectionately. "It is decided them. Draco, now is the time to choose your path. Will stand with the Dark Lord, or will you do everything in your power to see him wiped from this earth?"

Draco stood up straighter, and said with conviction, "Sir, I will stand with you, against him."

McGonagall and Snape smiled, as Dumbledore turned to Fawkes. "Now is the time, I believe." He spoke softly to the bird.

Fawkes spread his wings, and flew down to Draco. Instinctively, Draco, held out his arm to give him a place to land. Fawkes took one of his talons, and scratched the back of Draco's hand. Draco winced, but didn't say anything. The phoenix then let a single tear drop onto the scratch, healing it rapidly. Draco gasped as he felt an intense heat radiating from his hand and forearm. As Fawkes took flight, Draco rolled up his sleeve to see the Dark Mark on his arm bubbling on his skin. He gritted his teeth against the pain, as the Mark slowly dissolved, and was removed, leaving his arm bare.

Draco let out a shuttering breath, feeling more at ease than he had his entire life. Dumbledore motioned at him to turn his hand over, and as Draco did, he gasped as a glowing red figure of a phoenix danced around on the back of his hand, before slowly fading into his skin. He looked up at Dumbledore in slight confusion.

"Welcome, Draco," Dumbledore said, "To the Order of the Phoenix."

Harry and Ron started to protest from the back of the room, but were silenced by glares from McGonagall and Snape.

Draco's chest swelled and he looked into Dumbledore's eyes, and replied, "Thank you, sir. I won't let you down."

Dumbledore smiled, and moved his hand to dismiss Draco. Draco took a step back, and moved to lean against the wall near the door. He caught glares from Harry and Ron, which didn't bother him, but he noticed Hermione looking at him with an expression he didn't recognize. He made a mental note to figure that one out later.

"Now." Dumbledore said. "Will out four guests please step forward."

The Vault Hunters all stood up and lined up in front of Dumbledore's desk.

"I understand that the circumstances of your arrival are still clouded in mystery, but those answers will come to us in time. You have heard the stories of the people in this room, and have had time to digest it. I completely understand if you would rather work alone, and leave us to fight our cause as we would have without you. But now that you are here, I ask you: Will you fight with us?"

Lilith looked to each of her companions before asking, "You can't guarantee that all of us would make it back, can you?"

Dumbledore shook his head sadly. "No, Miss Lilith, I cannot. This is war. There will be casualties on both sides."

Lilith bit her lip, and looked again to her friends. "Guys?"

Maya shrugged. "I'm down. I could use a break from robots and skags."

"Wherever you lead, Lilith, I will follow." Zer0 said.

Everyone looked at Brick, who was looking at the floor. Then he let out a deep, throaty laugh. "This is gunna be awesome!" He looked at Lilith, grinning like the crazy madman she learned to love.

Lilith grinned. "Alright, were in."

"Excellent." Dumbledore said, clasping his hands together. "Now, let us share our knowledge, and plan this rescue mission." He motioned everyone to gather around his desk, and as soon as the eleven of them were there, he begun outlining his plan.

* * *

Somewhere deep in the Forbidden Forest, in an area where no living person hand stepped foot in for decades, there was a disturbance. Birds took flight from nearby trees, as a slow rumbling shook the ground. While seismic activity was not unheard of in England, this was different. In a small clearing, the ground parted as if it were water, and a rock formation slowly pushed its way up from under the ground. It was nothing out of the ordinary, for it looked exactly like every other rock nearby. The rumbling soon stopped, leaving the area strangely quiet.

A lone bird circled back into the area, and, upon seeing a new perch in the clearing, flew down and landed on the rock. As soon as it landed, its outer layer crumbled under its talons, startling the bird, which took flight once more. As soon as the dust settled, a purple glow filled the clearing. The boulder, which was once grey and made of rock, was now purple, glowing, and pulsing with unknown power.

* * *

Several kilometers away, two Sirens stood up suddenly, and turned towards the Forbidden Forest.

"Lilith. What is it?" Brick asked.

She looked back towards Maya, who nodded, indicating she felt it too.

"It's here."

Dumbledore look at her quizzically. "What is here?"

Lilith closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "Eridium."


	4. Chapter 4: Magic vs Metal

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, or Borderlands. If I did, then this story would be a movie or video game by now.**

**A/N: Sorry for the delay on this chapter. Work, mixed in with the insane heat where I am put me off writing. I finally broke and bought a window A/C unit, so now I can write in peace. **

**Enough about that. On with the show! -DeathDealerWolf**

Malfoy Manor had always been guarded by more than the Iron and brick its surrounding fence was made of. Wards, and ancient Malfoy blood-magic barriers that would only allow pureblood wizards to pass have always protected them from any unwanted visitors. The wards, usually invisible until interacted with, were now glowing constantly, making the Manor appear to be encased in a giant bubble.

"Lucius! What is happening?" Bellatrix screeched, staring out a window at the wards.

"Calm yourself, woman!" Lucius snapped. "I do not know what is happening, but whatever it is, it is obvious that the wards are holding it at bay."

"My friends…" a low voice came from behind them. Bellatrix spun around with a smile on her face, as Lucius stiffened, and turned around slowly.

Lord Voldemort walked swiftly towards them, his robe flowing behind him. He walked past his loyal servants, and stared at the wards. "Lucius, the wards will hold, yes?" he asked softly.

Lucius cleared his throat, before replying, "Yes, my Lord. They should. But I do not know what they are holding against. I have never seen this type of thing happen before."

Voldemort stood in silence, thinking furiously. An attack on the Manor would cause the wards to appear, but only in the area in which they were attacked. So unless the Order was attacking every spot of the wards at once, this could not be a wizard-made phenomenon. No, there was something greater at work. He must rally his forces while he could, and prepare for anything, and everything.

He turned to Lucius and said, "Prepare the Manor. We will be having guests."

"Guests, my Lord?" Lucius asked timidly. "How many?"

"All of the Death Eaters, plus those unworthy of the Mark, but loyal to me. We must rally our forces."

Lucius bowed to Voldemort respectfully, before replying, "It will be done, my Lord."

As Lucius left the room, Voldemort turned back to the glowing wards. He did not know what this power was, but he did know that whatever it was, he wanted it for his own.

* * *

"What the bloody hell is happening out there?" Draco asked quietly, staring at the wards around Hogwarts glowing.

"Language, Mr. Malfoy." McGonagall responded, before turning back to Dumbledore. "Albus, what _is_ going on?"

"I am not sure, Minerva, but the wards are reacting to what seems like a magical disturbance. Someone or something powerful is nearby." Albus turned back to the Vault Hunters. "You mentioned Eridium. What is it?"

Lilith sighed, before explaining. "Eridium is this weird element that started to grow on Pandora after we opened the first Vault. It was being used to power up a Vault Key by Hyperion to raise an ancient Eridian Warrior. You know, typical 'I'm gunna rule the world' kind of stuff. Well, we killed it, but the Eridium is still there. The reason Maya and I can sense it is because Sirens can use Eridium to enhance their powers." She paused, thinking about something for a while, before continuing. "It is terribly addictive, however. If supplied with a constant flow of Eridium, a Siren gets to the point where she can't live without it." She looked at Maya, who had a sad smile on her face.

"We knew another Siren." Maya said. "Her name was Angel. She was being used by Hyperion to charge the Vault Key. But in the process, she became dependant on the Eridium. She sacrificed herself to help us destroy the Vault Key and the Warrior." She gave a small smile. "I mean, we didn't see completely eye to eye with her, but when there are only six of us at any given time, you still feel bad…"

Zer0 stepped next to Maya, and put a hand on her shoulder. She grabbed it, and squeezed it appreciatively.

Snape cleared his throat, before saying, "So this 'Eridium', is a source of power that only Sirens can use? Are you sure it can't affect wizards and witches?"

Lilith sighed. "I have no idea. I barely know anything about the stuff, and I know _nothing_ about how you people work. No offense."

Albus smiled. "None taken." He turned to the rest of the group. "Mr. Malfoy. I'm afraid until we can determine the nature of this element, and how it can affect magical folk, we will have to postpone the raid."

Draco opened his mouth to protest, but a glare from Snape caused him to bite his tongue. "Very well, Professor. Just… Just don't forget about me, or my family. We are still on borrowed time."

"I will not. Now, if you four will excuse us." Albus waved his hand, and the door to his office opened. Draco hesitated, before turning on heel, and walking out. Harry, Ron and Hermione followed him.

As soon as the door closed, McGonagall turned towards Dumbledore. "Albus. You know that Draco will not let this go. He may go looking for alternative ways to free his parents."

Snape scoffed, causing everyone to turn towards him. "You don't understand Draco at all. He is not about to ruin his best option. If anything, he is going to find a way to speed up our progress on the Eridium. He will not deviate from his mission."

"But how would he even do that?" Maya asked. "It's not like he knows where the stuff is, or how to use it."

The group stood silent, thinking. After a moment, Dumbledore broke the silence. "Enough. If Severus believes Mr. Malfoy will not deviate from out course of action, then he will not. We need to focus on the matter at hand. Lilith, my dear, can you lead us to the element in question?"

Lilith grinned. "I think I can manage that."

"Good. With luck, we can prevent this from being used as a weapon for evil. If Voldemort discovers the element, and manages to harness its energy, it could mean the end of the war." The others in the room nodded grimly. He turned to Lilith. "Lead on, my dear."

* * *

Draco stood hidden, behind a suit or armor that was looking at him. With luck, they wouldn't notice that until it was too late. He pulled out his wand, and waited for the footsteps that approached him to get louder.

He heard Potter say something, but couldn't make out what it was. He then heard Granger reply, "I don't know, Harry. But if Professor Dumbledore thinks that it is enough of an issue to postpone what we were doing, then it isn't our place to tell him otherwise."

"Hermione, you saw his reaction. You really think the Ferret is going to let this go? He's going to do something stupid, and blow the whole plan, and get us all killed." Weasley said. Draco narrowed his eyes, reminding himself that he needed them for the moment. Revenge would come later.

"Yes, Ron, but I don't think that he is thick enough to think that Dumbledore would forget about his problem. He _is_ a valuable asset to the Order." Hermione replied impatiently. They were almost close enough for Draco to act. He silently unlocked and opened the door to the room opposite of him.

Weasley scoffed. "I can't believe he is an Order member before we are. How does that make sense?"

Before anyone could answer, just as they passed him, he pushed them all into the room suddenly, holding out his wand to deflect the curses he knew would be shot at him.

"What the hell, Malfoy!?" Weasley yelled, pulling his wand out, and pointing it at him, just as Potter did the same.

"Be quiet, Weasel. Your ignorance is more pronounced the louder you talk. And put your wand down. If I wanted to kill you, you would be dead already." Draco stared at them, none of them backing down.

Hermione scoffed, and grabbed both Harry and Ron's shoulders. "Will you two cut it out?" She then turned to Draco. "What is the meaning of this anyways, Malfoy?" She crossed her arms, annoyed.

Draco smirked. "Am I to believe that the Golden Trio wouldn't be heading into the forest to find the hidden element? Don't tell me you were content with sitting back and waiting for the Professors to figure it out."

Harry and Ron hesitated, because that was exactly what they had planned to do, but hadn't brought it up yet. Hermione, on the other hand, replied, "Yes. This isn't our issue. We have no idea what that stuff is, and we shouldn't go running blindly into a problem that no one in the world knows how to handle."

Draco glared at her. "That element is standing between me and rescuing my family. I don't care if I have to destroy every last bit of it, I am taking care of it, with or without you. As much as it pains me to admit, I need help on this one. I cannot go to my usual sources for help, which leaves you three. So let me know if you are coming or not. But I am leaving right now."

Draco put down his wand, and moved to the door, opening it. He stood there, waiting.

Hermione looked at Ron and Harry, and saw the consideration, and distrust in their faces. "You guys cannot be serious? You want to go into the Forbidden Forest, and go hunting for something we have no idea looks like, when the Professors are already going to be going after it?"

When Harry and Ron didn't say anything, she growled in frustration. "I am not talking to either of you. Let's go."

She stormed out of the room, annoyance and frustration surrounding her in an almost palpable aura. Draco smirked, and followed her out, followed closely by Harry and Ron.

They four of them exited the Great Hall, and made their ways towards the forest. Hermione walked at a fast pace, staying ahead of Draco, not wanting to have anything to do with the other two Gryffindors in their party.

She shook her head. How was it that they always got dragged into stuff like this? She couldn't blame Malfoy. She understood why he wanted to go. Nothing was more important to her than her family, so she could see why he felt the need to go. But Harry and Ron were planning on going anyways, when they had zero business in it in the first place. And on top of that, they _knew_ she wouldn't be able to let them go alone. She sighed. _I need new best friends_ she thought sarcastically.

They four of them reached the edge of the forest. Hermione stopped to let the others catch up, only to have Draco bump into her from behind.

"Merlin, Granger. If you are going to make a sudden stop, at least let the passengers on your train know." Draco drawled.

"Sorry." she replied, a bit flustered. Had he been that close to her the whole time? "What were you doing right behind me anyways?" she asked suspiciously.

"Just admiring the view, Granger." Draco smirked, as he walked past her. She stood rooted to the spot, as Harry and Ron caught up to her.

"Hermione?" Harry asked cautiously, shaking Hermione out of her trance.

"What?" she snapped.

Harry swallowed, and mumbled, "Nothing.", before walking into the forest with Ron.

She followed behind them, still at a loss at Malfoy's remark. _Admiring the view?_ She though. _What view? The forest is the same as it has always been. Besides, he was so close to her, it's not like he could have seen the forest past her anyways._

She continued walking, only to run right into the back of Malfoy, who, upon feeling her hit him, turned quickly and clamped his hand over her mouth to stop her from making a noise.

She looked at him questioningly, and he removed his hand, putting his finger to his mouth, asking her to stay quiet. She nodded, and he pointed at his eyes with two fingers, then to a nearby tree. She looked over to see Harry and Ron hiding, their wands out, and looking farther into the forest.

Hermione pulled her wand out, hiding next to Draco, and peered around him to see what they were looking at. When she saw it, she gasped loudly, causing Draco to clamp his hand over her mouth again.

There were four humanoids in the small clearing ahead of them. One was giant, wearing a metal helmet on its head, and holding two massive guns. He had to be as big as the Vault Hunter Brick.

The other three were about Draco's height, and were shirtless, wearing pants and knee pads. They were also wielding wicked looking axes. Hermione looked at Draco, and mouthed, "Who are they?"

He shook his head, and turned back to them. The three smaller ones seemed to be leading the bigger one, and they were heading deeper into the forest, but in a sweeping pattern. They seemed to be looking for something. Draco grabbed Hermione's arm, and pointed to Harry and Ron.

She nodded, as he held up three fingers, counting down. On zero, they both darted quickly to the other two boys. They all crouched down and huddled together.

"What the bloody hell are those…. _things_?" Ron asked, shaken a bit.

"I have no idea, Weasley." Draco responded, still watching the creatures move away.

"Whatever they are, they must be heading to where the element is." Harry whispered. "We should follow them, but at a distance." The other three nodded.

"Okay, Potter. Here's the plan. We split into two teams of two, and stealth behind them. That way if one group gets spotted, the other can flank around and help."

Harry and Ron looked at each other, and then both of them looked at Hermione. She scoffed, and stood up. "Yeah, yeah. You two have fun."

The rest of them stood up, and as Harry and Ron turned to leave, Draco stopped them.

"Potter. Weasley." He paused for a second, before saying "Be careful. We have no idea what we are up against. I'd rather not explain to Dumbledore how I got you two killed."

Ron rolled his eyes, but Harry grinned. "Don't worry, Malfoy. As much as I'd love Dumbledore to have at you, I'd rather be alive to see it."

Draco nodded to them, and nudged Hermione, letting her know that she should start moving. They had to move slowly, but it wasn't an issue, since the things ahead of them were going slowly as well. Draco couldn't shake this feeling of unease that was settling in the pit of his stomach. He had no idea what to do if things went south, save running as fast as he could back to the castle. But at the same time, he couldn't just leave the other three here. For better or worse, they were stuck here until they figured out where the element was.

* * *

After about an hour and a half of sneaking through the forest, the four walking death machines came upon a clearing. Draco and the others took up positions just inside the tree line, and watched.

At the center of the clearing, there was a rock that was glowing purple. Draco could feel the power pulsating from it. _That must be the Eridium_ Draco thought. He had never seen anything like it before, and it certainly didn't belong in the forest, so there was no other conclusion to draw.

The giant creature lumbered over to the rock, while the other three stood behind them. He seemed to study the rock, and then turned to the other three. "New present?" he asked them in a deep voice.

Ron let out a snort, before covering his mouth with his hand, his eyes wide. The four creatures all turned towards his direction.

Draco swore under his breath, and pushed Hermione to move away from Ron. She protested at first, but he leaned in and whispered in her ear, "We need to get behind them." She shivered slightly, and then nodded. Draco noticed, and filed that away for later.

The creatures slowly made their way towards the trees where Ron and Harry were. "It's time for the meat puppet!" one of the smaller ones exclaimed, drawing confused looks from Draco and Hermione. Draco whispered, "Take out the small one on the left, I'll hit the one on the right, and then we both hit the big guy."

Hermione nodded, and took a deep breath. Draco held up three fingers, and then counted down. At two, they heard Harry shout, "STUPEFY!" One of the smaller ones hit the floor, as the other two started to sprint at him. "I'm going to beat you to life!" one of them shouted.

Hermione and Draco both turned from cover, and shouted, "STUPEFY!" The other two smaller ones fell over, stunned. They both turned to the giant one, as he turned towards them. Four voices shouted stunning spells, just as the giant pulled the triggers on his guns. They four spells hit the giant just as the tree next to Hermione exploded as bullets impacted it. They giant's helmet was hit off of his head, and Hermione looked in horror as she saw there was a tiny head under it that was rapidly extending out of his torso like a snake.

The giant screamed, "Mistake!", as he threw down his guns. He seemed to grow in stature and size, and he yelled again, "BIG GOD DAMN MISTAKE!" He sprinted towards Harry and Ron.

From where she was, Hermione could see them split up and run in a circle in opposite directions around the edge of the clearing. The giant stood still for a second, debating which one to run after, before deciding on Harry. He charged towards him, smashing through the trees. "I'll crack your skull open with my thumbs!" the creature screamed at Harry, as he was nearing Hermione's position.

Hermione froze. What could she do? Stunning the thing hadn't done anything. As Harry reached her and pulled her to follow, she heard Draco shout from behind them.

"AVADA KEDAVERA!"

The creature froze for a second. It took a small step forward, mumbling, "That… won't… stop… me…", as it fell to the floor, and didn't move. Harry and Hermione stared at it, and jumped when Ron grabbed their shoulders.

"Are you two okay?" he asked.

Hermione nodded, and turned around to see where Draco was. She walked around the tree, and screamed.

Draco was slumped against the tree, holding his stomach as blood slowly oozed out of a charred wound. He was gritting his teeth in pain, and gasping for breath. Harry and Ron ran over at the sound of Hermione's scream, and stared at Draco, at a loss. None of them knew magical medicine, and they were at least an hour's run from the forest's edge.

Hermione knelt down next to him, and took his hand in hers. She gasped softly as he gripped her hand tighter than she expected, giving her an idea of how much pain he was in.

"Granger… Help me." Draco pleaded. Hermione looked up towards Ron and Harry, who both shook their heads. She bit her lip and looked back at Draco.

"Malfoy, I…" she let out a sob. "I don't know what to do…" She closed her and tried to stop the tears of frustration and anger from flowing. She could decipher ancient runes from four different civilizations. She could transfigure almost any piece of furniture into a variety of animals. She could brew a Polyjuice Potion in her sleep, but she didn't know the one thing she needed the most at this moment.

She heard Draco gasp, and she opened her eyes suddenly. He was staring behind her.

"It's time for THREE pounds of flesh!"

She spun around quickly, and saw the three smaller attackers sprinting towards them. She screamed, as one threw its axe right at her.

**A/N: :-D Let me know what you think. I'll try and have the next one up soon.**


	5. Chapter 5: Skin Deep

**Disclaimer: I am not a multimillionaire philanthropist who owns Gearbox and/or the Harry Potter series. If I was, Draco would have gotten with Hermione in the books. **

**A/N: So the last week has been hot as hell. Not great weather to get the mental juices flowing. Also, the hundreds of talented authors on FanFiction are not helping with all the distractions they are giving me. LOL.**

**A special thanks to Sunshine Muncher and Kname for your reviews. They mean a lot to me, and this chapter is for you. Let me know what you think!**

**-DeathDealerWolf**

Chapter 5: Skin Deep

"MISTAKE!"

The four Vault Hunters froze when they heard the Goliath's shout. A second later, they were sprinting towards it, very aware of what happens when a Goliath starts raging. The three professors fell behind as they navigated the trees as fast as they could.

"BIG GOD DAMN MISTAKE!"

Lilith and Maya's tattoos began to glow, as Brick let out a mighty roar. Zer0 pulled out his sword, and held it behind him, ready to strike.

The voices were close. As they approached the source of the noises, they saw a purple glow emanating from a clearing ahead of them.

"AVADA KEDAVERA!"

They saw a green flash of light, and heard the Goliath's voice die out. As soon as they heard Hermione scream, Zer0 sent his decoy ahead, and Lilith began to phasewalk into the clearing.

Just as Hermione screamed a second time, Maya and Brick broke through the tree line. Maya ducked instinctively as she saw something in her peripheral vision flying through the air. The buzz-axe flew about a foot in front of her face.

Just as it neared Hermione, she was suddenly pulled to the side, landing in a head on the floor. The axe buried into the tree with a sickening thud.

Hermione looked around confused as to what just happened. She let out a small yelp as Zer0 suddenly appeared out of thin air right above her.

The three Psychos were temporarily stunned at the arrival of reinforcements, but quickly went back on the offensive. One charged at Brick, another at Maya, and one ran to grab the Goliath's guns that it had thrown away.

Brick let out a laugh, as he swung at the psycho with a massive uppercut, lifting it off the ground, before grabbing its body, and bringing it down on his knee with a loud crunch. He threw the now limp body of the Psycho into the nearest tree, where it stayed, oozing blood.

Maya lifted her hand and phaselocked the second Psycho, holding it in place, as fire, acid, electricity and slag burned the Psycho. She held it there until Zer0 ran it through with his sword, then quickly beheaded it.

"Yes, yes, YES! IT'S DINNER TIME!"

They all turned to see the last Psycho lifting the massive gun of the Goliath, and swung to aim at Maya and Zer0. But before he pulled the trigger, there was a blast of fire next to him, and his body flew in several pieces away from the blast.

In the epicenter of the blast knelt Lilith, who had fiery wings on her back. He stood up slowly, looking at the young wizards with fiery orange eyes.

"Sup?"

Harry and Ron let out relieved laughs, grateful they weren't dead. Hermione tried to collect herself, as she stumbled to her feet, trying to reach Malfoy.

When she reached him, she grabbed his hand again, feeling his cold skin in against her fingers.

"Malfoy? Malfoy, stay with us." His eyes tracked over to her, but they wouldn't stay focused. He let out a groan, as his eyes felt like they weighed as much as a Hippogriff. He blinked slowly, trying to concentrate on what was going on around him, but his brain couldn't make sense of any of it.

Hermione turned to the Vault Hunters and pleaded. "Help him! He was shot with that gun over there." She pointed at the charred gun where the Psycho once stood when he was in one piece.

Maya and Lilith rushed over to Malfoy, as Brick and Zer0 went to inspect the weapon.

"Shit, he is fading fast, Lil." Maya muttered, as she tore open Draco's shirt to expose the wound better.

The wound was charred and black. It wasn't bleeding as much as they had originally had though.

"The rounds must have been incendiary. It looks like they cooked him pretty bad, but it stopped most of the blood loss." Lilith said, reaching for her storage deck. She quickly scanned through the inventory. "Shit, I'm out of Insta-Health vials. Brick. Zer0. You got any? And what's up with the gun?"

Both Brick and Zer0 opened their storage decks. Zer0 replied "Incendiary round, Lilith. High caliber. He's lucky it was a glancing shot, and not to his center of mass. And I'm out of Insta-Healths also."

"Me too" added Brick.

"I'm out of Instas, but I got a regular Healing Kit." Maya offered. She pulled it out of her storage deck, as Harry, Hermione, and Ron gasped. It seemed to appear out of thin air. It was a red, plastic tube with a needle on one end, and it was filled with something. Maya tossed it to Lilith, who injected it right into Draco's chest.

"What is going on here?"

Everyone in the clearing turned to the three Professors, who entered the clearing, wands raised. McGonagall let out a gasp of surprise as she almost stepped on the mangled body of Brick's victim, and a random part of Lilith's. Snape looked at the charred, headless torso farther in the clearing, and he paled a bit, but said nothing.

Dumbledore moved swiftly to Draco, noticing he was injured. "What happened to him? And what did you inject him with?" He asked Lilith.

"He was shot by a Goliath, before we got here. I injected him with a healing kit we use." She responded. "It should be taking effect any second now."

They all gathered around Draco, who was still clinging to consciousness. He let out a loud moan, as an icy pain swept through his torso, towards his wound. The wizards and witches gazed in wonder as his skin began to rapidly heal and restitched itself. The charred, burned parts were suddenly pink and full of life, and after about thirty seconds, his skin was once again flawless. Hermione blushed a bit, taking in the sight of his toned abs, but no one noticed.

"Fucking hell…" Draco let out with a ragged breath, before he slipped unconscious.

"He'll be fine." Maya said. "If you aren't used to these, they can knock you out pretty good."

Snape knelt next to Draco's body, checking his pulse. It was strong and steady. Satisfied, he stood, turning to the Headmaster. "Albus, what now?"

Dumbledore turned towards the glowing rock in the center of the clearing. "Is this it, Miss Lilith?"

They all turned away from Draco, studying what they came all this way for. The Eridium glowed brilliantly, almost pulsing with unused energy. Ron took a step towards it, and reached out his hand to touch it.

"Ron! Stop!" Harry yelled, but it was too late. Ron's fingers brushed against the glowing rock, and he yelped as a fist-sized chunk attached to where his fingers touched disappeared into his skin. He turned back to the group, who all took a step back.

Ron's eyes were glowing with a purple hue, and thin lines were ornately covering the right side of his neck and arms. "What's wrong?" he asked them.

They all exchanged glances, before Maya stepped forward. "You look like this, kid." She called her Siren powers, causing her skin and eyes to glow as Ron's did. He raised his eyebrows, and looked down at his arm. He nearly jumped out of his skin, and let out a yelp. "Sweet Merlin, what the hell?!" He stared at his arm, studying the details in the lines on his skin.

"Hmm…" Dumbledore mused. "Miss Lilith, you said that this element would amplify your powers, yes?"

She nodded, and then jerked her head towards Ron. "You thinking it'll do the same to him?"

"Only one way to find out. Mr. Weasley? Could you please cast 'Reducto' on a tree behind you?"

Ron stared blankly at Dumbledore for a moment, obviously wondering what the hell was going on, before shrugging, and pulling out his wand once more, turning around, and pointing it at a rather large tree.

"Reducto!" he yelled.

A resonating bang emanated from Ron's wand, and he stumbled backwards from the force of his spell. Maya, who was the closest to him, caught him before he fell over. Normally, Ron would make the most of being in a beautiful woman's arms, but neither he, nor the rest of them could take their eyes off the tree line.

Every tree the arc of his spell was destroyed, reduced to woodchips and mulch. There was a deep gash into the forest, and it looked as though he had destroyed about forty or fifty trees.

Ron felt dizzy, and closed his eyes. "Fucking hell…" he muttered, before he passed out.

* * *

Someone had taken a sledgehammer and was going to town on Draco's skull. He was sure of it. He groaned, and then winced as the sound of his groan made his headache get worse. He put his hands up to the sides of his head, trying to block out the voices on the other side of the room.

"Will you kindly shut the hell up?" he groaned, feeling slightly nauseous.

"Shh… Here, take this." Maya's voice came from right next to him.

He opened one eye to look at her, then immediately regretted it, as the blinding light in the room cause his head to spin. He moaned. "It's too fucking bright. I can't see."

"Then open your mouth." Maya said, uncorking the potion Madam Pomfrey gave her. He complied silently, and she poured it into his mouth. He swallowed it, and then visibly relaxed. He let out a small chuckle.

"You know that feeling right after good sex? That stuff was like that in a bottle." He grinned, his hands still covering his eyes, but his headache gone.

Maya laughed, and playfully smacked his arm. "Now, that is no way to speak in front of a lady." she teased.

Draco looked at her. "Oh, like you don't know what I'm talking about."

Maya blushed slightly, but grinned none the less. "Irrelevant."

He smirked, then moved to sit up in bed. His bed had a curtain surrounding it, which gave him csome privacy. He was shirtless, but that suited him just fine, considering he wanted to inspect his stomach. He ran his hands over where he remembered the wound was. The skin was just as pale and perfect as he remembered, with no trace of a burn or scar. "Fuck, how did you guys fix me up? I thought I was done for."

"A Healing vial we use on Pandora. When all of your enemies use big fucking guns, you tend to need immediate medical solutions. Unfortunately, since we were in a firefight right before we got here, that was the last one we had." Maya answered. She looked over at the group surrounding Ron. "The medical witch said she wanted to see about recreating it, but with nothing left in the vial, and only your blood to go on, she's not sure if she can do it."

Draco thought on it for a moment, before shrugging. "I know it may be a bit selfish, but I'm glad you didn't wait to use it."

Maya laughed, and poked his stomach. "It seems to have been put to good use, I guess."

Draco blushed slightly, then stretched to cover that fact up. "So, I know I berated Weasley earlier for asking, but seriously. How old are you?"

Maya tilted her head, and then answered. "Twenty-eight."

Draco's eyes went wide for a second, then narrowed. "No way. You can't be a day over twenty."

They both thought about it for a second, before something clicked. "Wait a minute." Draco said. "What unit of measurement do you use for age?"

Maya tilted her head again, wondering if he was crazy. "We use years. Don't you?"

Draco huffed impatiently. "Well, yes, but how many days are in your years?"

"Two hundred and fifty." Maya answered.

Draco snapped his fingers. "That's it. Here, a year is three hundred and sixty-five days."

Maya's eyes went a bit wide. "Huh… Well, if that is off, what else is? How long are your days?"

"Twenty-four hours. And there are sixty minutes in an hour, and sixty seconds in a minute." Draco replied.

"Well, that's still the same, I guess…" She paused for a second. "So how old am I?"

Draco did some quick math in his head. "Umm… early 19? I think."

"And how old are you?" she asked timidly, not quite looking at him.

"16. I turn 17 in a couple months." He replied, suddenly feeling very awkward.

A silence fell between them, broken a moment later by a shout from the other side of the Hospital Wing.

* * *

"OW! What the bloody hell was that for?!" Ron groaned, his head ringing already from a headache, no worse since Hermione smacked him on the back of his head.

"That was for being a complete idiot and touching something that we didn't even know if it was safe! You could have died, you moron!" Hermione screeched at him.

Ron groaned, covering his head with a pillow. "Please stop yelling…"

"Fine." Hermione snapped, before leaning in next to his ear. She then screamed "YOU ARE A STUPID PRAT!"

Ron moaned in pain, and turned away from her. Harry finally cleared his throat. "Mione, maybe we should just let him sleep?"

Hermione let out a small growl, which startled Harry. "Fine. But I am _so_ not done with him yet."

Harry nodded, seeing she wasn't going to let this go. He was relieved that his best friend was okay, and while he did agree that Ron was stupid for touching the Eridium, he couldn't be mad at him for long. "Let's go check on Malfoy, then go back up to Dumbledore's office." He suggested.

Hermione nodded stiffly, and turned away from Ron, and walked over to Draco's bed, with Harry close behind. She pulled back the curtain suddenly, then let out a small gasp and froze.

Draco was sitting up in his bed, shirtless, in his boxers. The bed sheets were covering him up to the waistband. Maya was sitting next to him, fiddling with the corner of the sheets. Her eyes shot up when she heard the curtains open.

"Oh, hello. How's your friend?" Maya asked.

Hermione tried to find her voice, but couldn't. She couldn't tear her gaze away from Draco, and his immaculate body. She was snapped out of her state by Harry coming up next to her.

"Merlin, Malfoy. Put a shirt on. And pants. We don't need to see that." Harry said, averting his eyes.

Draco grinned, noticing Hermione's reaction. "Gee, _Potter_. I always thought you loved checking me out." he teased, not taking his eyes off of Hermione, indicating he knew exactly what she was doing and thinking, and it wasn't Harry he was referring to.

Hermione cleared her throat, and struggled to stay clearheaded. "_Anyways._ Since you are up now, get dressed. Dumbledore wanted to see you." With that, she turned on heel, and walked as fast as she could without running out of the room.

Harry raised his eyebrows, watching her leave, then turned back to Draco. "How are you feeling?"

Draco scoffed. "Like I got shot in the stomach, and got healed completely in the span of 5 minutes."

Harry snorted, then shook his head. "As soon as I experience that for myself, I'll let you know I understand. Anyways, thanks for taking care of Hermione in the forest." He looked down at his feet, not comfortable with the feeling of owing Draco Malfoy.

"It was nothing, Potter. We worked as a unit, and we got our mission done. I would have done the same if it was Granger, Pansy, or you."

Harry looked at him with an expression Draco couldn't quite place. Respect? Admiration? Loathing?

"Yeah, well, thanks anyways. Now get dressed. We got a lot more to do." Harry replied, turning to leave.

"I'm on my way." Draco said, throwing off the sheet to get out of bed.

Maya blushed a little, before looking away, as Draco stood with his back to her, grabbing his clothes.

"You can look all you want, love, but touching will cost you." he teased, not turning to face her.

Maya chuckled, and stood up. "You know, you are not as hot as you think you are, Mr. Malfoy."

Draco turned to her, raising an eyebrow, as he finished buttoning his shirt. "Is that right?" he asked.

Maya nodded, walking around the bed to the end of it, waiting for him to finish so they could leave. "That's right. Now hurry up, pretty boy."

Draco finished putting on his robes, not bothering with his tie. He smirked, turning to Maya. She seemed to pale a bit, his smile foreign to her. He walked right up to her, and stood uncomfortably close to her. He smiled coyly, as he draped his tie around her neck. Holding both ends, he used it to pull her a bit closer to him, so their faces were only inches apart.

"So, you think I'm pretty? Is that all?" he asked in a low, seducing voice. He could see her visibly swallow.

"Umm… I..." she stammered. She wasn't used to this kind of attention. There weren't any guys like this on Pandora. Sure, Axton was kind of cute, but he was way to serious for her taste. She knew that Zer0 always had a soft spot for her, but she barely knew anything about him, so how could she learn to reciprocate his feelings for her. She bit her bottom lip, unsure of what to do, or say.

Draco leaned close, causing her to hold her breath. Just as his lips lightly brushed against hers, there was a loud groan from the other side of the room.

"Ugh! Does anyone have a potion for this headache?!"

Draco let out a low growl, before pulling away from Maya, leaving her flustered, leaning against the bedpost. He walked to the door, banging it open loudly. Ron groaned at the noise.

"Malfoy, you prat. Keep it down." he whined.

Draco scoffed, holding the door open. He turned to look at Maya, beckoning her to him so they could leave. She shook her head to clear it, and then walked out of the room with him, just as Madam Pomfrey came out of her office to give Ron a potion.

Draco slammed the door closed, and smirked as a loud moan came from behind it. _That will teach you to interrupt me when I am working, Weasel, _he thought.

**A/N: Sigh. Silly Malfoy. Always getting in trouble. Anyways, please review! FYI, I already know how this story will end, and the entire plot is outlined, so no worries about me not finishing it. It's just a matter of me actually typing it. Still not sure if I want to have a sequel as a X-over as well, or a straight Harry Potter fic. Let me know which one you would like! -DeathDealerWolf**


	6. Chapter 6: The Calm Before the Storm

**A/N: I haven't updated in a while, and for that, I apologize. I got caught up in two other fanfics, then I had an idea for another story, so I was getting all of the ideas I had on paper before I lost them. That one will still need time to hash out, and I'm not sure if it will be a one-shot or a full novel. The plot has the potential for either. Enough of that. Enjoy -DeathDealerWolf**

**Ch****apter 6: The Calm Before the Storm**

In all the years that Dumbledore had lived, he had never seen anything quite like the pile of glowing rocks that now stood in the Room of Requirement. True, he did work on the Philosopher's Stone, but he at least understood the magic and science behind it. This new element, this Eridium, would either be the greatest discovery in Wizarding history, or would be the catalyst of their destruction.

"We don't really know much about it." Lilith said. "We know that it can be used after it is refined to charge Vault Keys, and Slag is a byproduct of the refining process."

"Slag?" Snape repeated questioningly.

"Yeah." Brick answered. "It is used in elemental weapons. Slag increases the amount of effect that another element has on its target. For instance, Hyperion robots are weak to acid. Psychos, like those in the forest, are weak to fire. If either was coated in slag first, then hit with an elemental weapon, the damage would be increased by about three times."

Dumbledore shook his head. "Even races and universes more advanced than ours are subjected to the horrors of war. It fills me with sorrow that these types of weapons were even necessary in your world."

Lilith shrugged. "We can't think about it much. We'd go insane. But you're right. I don't remember the last time I could sit still and relax."

Brick kicked his feet up on another chair, and snorted. "Relax? I haven't heard that word in ages."

Lilith smiled sadly at him. "We get blasted to another universe, and we still can't even catch a break. I'm starting to think someone has it out for us."

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Well, let us dwell on this no longer. We have two objectives that need to be discussed. The first is the raiding of Malfoy Manor. The second is finding your 'Vault'. I believe that since you are brought here by Mister Malfoy wishing his parents safe, you much complete that before this Vault will reveal itself, and thus allowing you to return home."

Zer0 spoke up. "What is the problem with just sneaking in and taking his family away?"

A voice behind him answered. "Because his parents are Death Eaters, and his father is one of Voldemort's biggest arse kissers."

Dumbledore and Snape scowled at Harry as he walked in, with Hermione right behind him. McGonagall gave him a disapproving glare, but with a hint of humor in it. "Watch your tongue, Mr. Potter. I would hate to take away points from my own House." she replied.

"My apologies, Professor." he replied. "But it's true." He turned to Dumbledore. "How are you going to convince his parents that they need to leave? It's not like they are going to believe it if four random people show up and tell them their son sent them to take them back to the Order."

Dumbledore sat down in his chair wearily. "That is the answer that eludes me, Harry." He turned to Fawkes, his faithful companions, stroking his feathers gently, looking for inspiration.

* * *

"Yeah, so I have no idea where we are supposed to go." Maya said."

"Well, it's a good thing you have me around, don't you?" Draco teased.

Maya smiled, and followed him out of the Hospital Wing, trusting his sense of direction. "So how long have you been coming to school here?" she asked.

"This is my sixth year here. There are seven years in total. After the fifth, they test you on all of the basic classes. Then, from those test scores, you choose which advanced classes you want to take, depending on what kind of career you want after school." He gazed fondly as they passed the stone wall where the Room of Requirement was hidden. "I've had a lot of good memories in this place. And a lot of bad ones."

Maya noticed his shoulders slumped. "Well, at least you got your friends here." She offered, trying to cheer him up.

He scoffed. "What friends? All I have are two retarded gorillas who are bodyguards more than friends, one annoying whore who follows me everywhere, and a guy who is _almost_ as suave and good looking as I am, who can't handle that I am better than he is."

It was Maya's turn to scoff. "Modesty suits you well, Malfoy."

"Draco." he corrected her. "And I never said I was modest. It's just the truth. Blaise hates the fact that whatever he had, or accomplished, I have already done. We could be best mates if he could overlook that fact."

"Well, Lilith and I are friends, and we are both Sirens." Maya replied. "I know that if she is a stronger Siren than I am, but she doesn't make a point of saying anything about it. I would resent her if she did. People don't like having their shortcoming rubbed in their faces, Draco."

He stopped suddenly, and turned to face her. "I have never mentioned it once to him, nor would I." He snapped. Maya backed up a bit, but held her ground. Draco stepped close to her, locking his eyes on hers. "He is the one who points out his shortcoming to himself. All I do is exist. If he can't deal with the fact that I happen to be better than him, it is not my problem. I have worked hard to get where I am, and I have earned the right to show it. I am a Malfoy. In the world that I grew up in, that name is one that is respected and feared. That name is everything."

He let out a growl, and suddenly turned to punch a suit of armor that was next to them. Maya jumped at the loud crash that echoed in the hall. She jumped again when a voice from the armor exclaimed "Really?! Was that necessary?"

"Oh shut it, you!" Draco spat at the armor, before turning back and continued walking towards the Headmaster's office. Maya quickly caught up to him, but said nothing.

They walked in silence for a time, until they reached the stone gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore's office. Draco sighed, and ran his hand through his hair. "That name is everything…" he repeated, leaning against a nearby wall, and gazing out the window. "And it has taken me sixteen years to realize that that name is worthless without family. What good is the Malfoy name if the Malfoys all die in service of the Dark Lord? What good is it to be the best if you will never be allowed to _be_ the best?" He put his head down. "When this is all over, and the Dark Lord is dead, I can only hope that the Malfoys can salvage their name and continue living."

Maya listened to him, trying to understand where he was coming from. She didn't understand how their class structure worked, but she gathered that he came from a family that was very high up the ladder. She could understand how throwing all of that away for family could be crippling to someone. With a sigh, she walked over to him and gave him a hug. She smiled as he stiffened a bit, and his breath caught.

"What?" she asked, not looking up at him. "Can't a girl hug you?"

Draco let out a small laugh. "It's not that. I'm just not used to people caring. Not used to people showing _any_ affection for me, really."

Maya looked up at him quizzically. "Really? Surely you had a girlfriend or something? What about your parents?"

Draco let out a barking laugh, the only sign that the blood of the Noble House of Black flowed in his veins. "My parents? Hardly. My father was a cold-blooded bastard, who would rather beat me for not getting 100% when I got 99. He kept my mother in line and she couldn't show any emotion either. But she would sneak off when he was busy and would tell me she loved me, and how proud she was of me. I'm doing all of this for her, mainly. If Lucius doesn't want to come, I won't force him. But I refuse to let my mother get caught up in his superiority complex. He's always going on about 'Pureblood' this or 'Mudblood' that. If Pureblood was so important, how is it that every year I am always second to Hermione Granger, a Muggle-born."

Maya frowned in confusion. "Mudblood? Muggle-born?"

"Oh. Right. A Muggle is a person who is not a Witch or Wizard. And a Muggle-born is a Witch or Wizard who is born from Muggle parents. Mudblood is kind of a derogatory term for Muggle-borns. It is basically saying that you aren't worth of magic if you don't come from it."

Maya shook his head. "That sounds retarded."

Draco laughed again. "Yeah. But I had that mentality beaten into me since I could understand words. I used to believe it, too. But now? I couldn't care less. Lineage doesn't mean shit on the battlefield. Being a Malfoy didn't stop me from getting shot. It won't stop a killing curse. If I want my name to mean anything anymore, I need to be on the winning side of this war, and I need to help finish it. Only then can I be proud to be a Malfoy again…"

Maya smiled softly, leaning her head against his chest. How long had it been since she had physical contact like this? Never? _Ugh, I am pathetic_ she thought to herself. "Well, I'll help you finish it then." she replied softly. She grinned, looking up at him. "I mean, it would be a tragedy if a pretty boy like you couldn't be proud."

Draco smirked. "Still just pretty, am I?" he asked jokingly.

Maya rolled her eyes, before leaning in and giving him a small peck on his cheek. "Just pretty." she replied. "With potential to be a sexy hunk if you deflate your ego a bit."

Draco grabbed his chest, feigning an injury. "You hurt me with your biting words, ma'am"

Maya raised her eyebrows. "Ma'am? Are you calling me old?"

Draco grinned. "Well, you ARE twenty-eight. Hitting on a sixteen year old. I should call the authorities on you."

Maya smacked his shoulder playfully. "You're an ass." she said, before giving him another kiss on his other cheek. "Come on. We gotta get going."

Maya pulled away from Draco, but he pulled her back into him. She started to ask him why, but his lips suddenly captured hers, and her brain went fuzzy. She stood there, stunned for a second, before snapping out of it and started to kiss him back. _Holy hell, this is sinfully good_ she thought to herself, wrapping her arms around his neck, running her hands though his hair.

Draco let out a small groan as her fingers ran against his scalp, and pulled her body closer against his. But before he could go any further, there was a small cough behind them. Draco and Maya pulled away from each other suddenly, and turned towards the source of the noise.

Hermione stood there, staring at them like a mother who had caught her son and his girlfriend. "Really, Malfoy?" she asked him condescendingly. Draco shrugged, looking pleased with himself nonetheless. Hermione rolled her eyes, before motioning them to enter the office. "We are waiting for you two. Come on."

Maya, with a furious blush on her cheeks, almost ran up the steps, while Draco practically strutted up the steps. Hermione snorted. "She's been here, what? Twelve hours?" she asked him.

Draco smirked. "Don't be jealous, Granger. It doesn't suit you. Besides, there is plenty of Draco for everyone."

Hermione pretended to gag. "Why would I want used goods? I'd rather kiss a ferret. Oh wait! That would be you, wouldn't it?" she retorted.

Draco glared at her, but bit back his reply. _Family first, all the other bollocks second_ he reminded himself. And like it or not, he was going to need her, so pissing her off wouldn't be in his best interests. So instead, he continued walking in silence. If swallowing his pride was the price to pay, it wasn't so bad as he thought.

* * *

They entered Dumbledore's office together. Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall were all behind his desk, reading over the details of Malfoy Manor again. Harry and Lilith were sitting on a large couch to the right, along with Brick, who was sitting in his own chair, and had his feet up on another.

Maya was leaning against the left wall, while Zer0 was right next to the door, his hand on his sword, ready to strike anyone not permitted to enter. Draco coughed softly to get everyone's attention.

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy." Dumbledore welcomed him. "And Miss Granger. Please, come in. We were just discussing how we were going to rescue the Malfoys."

Draco nodded, and went to stand against the wall next to Maya, who still had a flush of color on her cheeks. She smiled at Draco as he approached, and he gave her one of his best Malfoy smiles. Hermione shook her head as Maya almost drooled on herself. _That poor, poor girl_ she thought to herself. _She has no idea what she's gotten herself into._

Hermione went to sit between Harry and Lilith. "So, Professor," she said. "What is the plan?"

Dumbledore turned towards Draco. "Well, here is the problem, Mr. Malfoy. When we enter your home to retrieve your parents, what guarantee do we have that they will even come with us willingly? We cannot hold them here against their wills. And I fear that Lucius would not betray the Dark Lord."

Draco sighed. "Yeah, I've been thinking about that too. I don't know how my Father will react, and I have no clue on how his reaction will affect my Mother. But, I mean, I still have to try, for my Mother's sake. I could care less about Lucius. So as long as she sees reason, and comes with us… But if they refuse to leave, there isn't much else I can do. Father will most likely disown me, and that will be that. I'll be just another Order soldier to him."

Harry and Hermione exchanged looks. They never really had considered what Draco was putting on the table, and what the potential risks for him were. If he was so selfless for the sake of his mother, what else had they assumed wrong about him.

"Well, Mr. Malfoy, I assure you that you will be taken care of, should that be the outcome." Dumbledore replied.

Draco nodded slowly, his eyes not focusing, his mind on something else. Maya nudged him softly, and he shook his head to clear it. "Thanks, Professor. It's just difficult to imagine giving up everything I've known since I can remember. I hope this is all worth it in the end."

"As do I, Mr. Malfoy. As do I." Dumbledore replied. "Well then. With that taken care of, we need to decide who will be going on this operation."

"Me, obviously." Draco replied with a snort.

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, of course. Am I correct in assuming the four of you will be joining us?" He asked the Vault Hunters.

Lilith spoke up. "Yeah. Zer0 is the best stealth fighter we have, so he is a must. Maya and I can handle small encounters, but not very quietly. And Brick… well, he's coming in case things go wrong."

Brick laughed menacingly. "I'll carve us an exit quick if we need it. Me and Shredifier here." he said, patting a menacing looking rifle next to him.

Draco narrowed his eyes. "I thought your equipment didn't work here? How did you get that?"

"Out in the forest." Lilith answered him. "In the clearing, our equipment worked. We noticed it after you and the dumbass passed out. It was stupid, honestly. We were looking through them for a healing vial for you, and didn't think about it until after."

Draco grinned at Lilith referring to Ron as a dumbass. "So what did _you_ get out of your backpack?" he asked her.

Lilith grinned back, and pulled out a smaller gun than Bricks, but no less menacing. "Meet the 'Bitch'."

Draco and Harry both laughed, which Snape and Hermione scoffed, and Dumbledore shook his head, chuckling softly. McGonagall scowled, a bit offended.

"She takes after her name, and shoots acid like a pissed off woman on a rampage." Lilith continued. "She may not be as brute as Brick's gun, but she's got it where it counts."

Draco looked towards Zer0, who in turn looked down to his right at a very long rifle. "Lyuda. The White Death. Slag rounds, twenty-two shots in a clip. Effective at a kilometer and a half." He described his weapon with almost indifference.

Harry let out a low whistle. He knew a bit about guns, growing up in the Muggle world, and he knew enough that that gun would do serious damage at long range.

Everyone turned towards Maya, who grinned as well. "Well, as long as everyone else is whipping theirs out…" she quipped, before pulling two smaller handguns out. "This is Maggie." she said, motioning to the pistol in her left hand. "And this is the Infinity." she said, motioning to the other one.

Draco raised his eyebrows. "Infinity?" he asked.

Maya nodded. "I'll show you later." He shrugged in response.

Snape scoffed. "Well, now that Show and Tell is over, let's continue. Unfortunately, it would not be wise for me to be on this mission, Albus. My cover needs to remain intact for the time being. I should be seen in the Slytherin common room so that they can confirm with their parents that I was here, should they be asked."

Dumbledore nodded. "It would be wise, Severus. Now," he said, turning to Harry and Hermione. "I am not sure about the two of you."

Hermione stood up. "Of course we are going! You can't have us involved, and then ask us to sit out! Professor." she added, a bit embarrassed at her outburst, but determined nonetheless.

Harry sighed. "As much as Malfoy and I don't get along, we need to take care of this. And losing Lucius Malfoy would hurt Voldemort a lot. He has information that even Snape couldn't get." he said, to which Snape shot him a nasty glare. Harry ignored it. "I'm in."

Dumbledore looked at their determined faces, before sighing softly. "Very well." he replied, before turning to address the room.

"We will leave at 4am. We will be entering the Manor through the emergency exit located in the Servants' Quarters on the east side of the estate. From there, we will have to sneak into the hidden passage located near the forest to the west, which will take us into the dungeons. There, we will split up into two teams. Harry, Lilith, Brick and I will guard the passage while Draco, Maya, and Hermione go in search for Draco's parents." He turned to Harry. "They will need your cloak."

"Why can't I go with Hermione, Professor?" Harry asked. "Why am I on guard duty?"

"Because, Harry, if that passage is taken by Death Eaters, we all will be trapped and captured by Lord Voldemort. We need out best fighters there to ensure that doesn't happen." Dumbledore replied.

Harry still looked unconvinced, but was pleased to be considered a 'best fighter' all the same.

Dumbledore and Snape shared a look, both understanding that Harry was to remain protected by Dumbledore at all times. He could not face Voldemort until he was ready.

Hermione looked less than pleased with having to go with Draco and Maya, but said nothing. Draco, noticing this, decided to speak up. "In case you are wondering, Granger, I need someone with me that could help disable traps and counter-curses to get to my parents. As Dumbledore will be unable to go with me, you are the next smartest person."

Hermione raised her eyebrows in surprise. Not only did Draco catch on to what she was thinking, he answered her while complimenting her. This was new. This was also very unlike him, which the other magical folk in the room noticed as well.

Draco ignored them, instead whispering something to Maya. Maya grinned, blushing slightly. She whispered something back to him, smacking him over the head softly. Hermione heard him mutter "I didn't mean it like _that_… I just wanted to _show_ you my room…"

Dumbledore stood up slowly, and everyone else fell silent. "Well then, everyone get a good night's rest. I will have house elves wake you up at 3:15 so you can get ready. We will have a quick breakfast in the Great Hall before leaving for Malfoy Manor. I trust you will speak about this to no one." He said, his gaze sweeping over his students. They all nodded and muttered in the affirmative. "Good. Sleep well. Draco, if I may speak to you for a moment alone?"

Draco nodded, turning to Maya. "Wait for me at the bottom of the stairs, yeah?"

She nodded. "Sure."

Draco walked up to Dumbledore's desk, as the rest of the occupants made their way out. As soon as the door closed, Dumbledore sighed.

"Draco, I understand this is hard for you, but there is something we need to discuss before we go to the Manor."

Draco shook his head slowly, at the ceiling. "I know what you want to talk about, Professor. And if it comes to that, I will take care of it." he said, putting as much confidence in his voice as he could.

Dumbledore looked at him with pity. "Draco, no one should have to raise his wand to his own family. If you cannot, I can do it for you. You shouldn't have to darken your soul by taking another's life."

Draco scoffed. "Lucius chose his own fate years ago. If he refuses to come with us, then he will suffer the punishment he set for himself. But the blood enchantments on the Manor are crystal clear. No one but the Head of the family may have control of the Manor. And if Lucius has to die, in order for the Manor to become mine, he has to die of natural causes, or by my own hand. No one can do it for me. And that Manor could be invaluable in the war against the Dark Lord." He gazed back at Dumbledore with determination, and with a maturity that Dumbledore had never seen in him before.

Dumbledore took off his spectacles, and rubbed him weary eyes. "Very well, Draco. If this is a sacrifice your soul can bear, for the good of the rest of the Wizarding world, then do what you must. Just know that I have never been more proud of you. You have become your own man, with his own mind, and his own heart. It is something that I feared would never happen when I met you all those years ago."

Draco looked at his feet uncomfortable. He wasn't used to being someone who anyone would be proud of. His father always said he was a lousy Death Eater, Severus would continuously remind him that Granger was ahead of him in Potions, and his friends couldn't care less about him. "Umm… thank you, Professor…" he replied quietly.

Dumbledore gazed upon him for a bit more, before dismissing him. "Try and rest, Draco. Tomorrow will be difficult enough without you falling asleep in the hallway." He smiled at Draco, a glimmer of humor in his eye.

Draco let out his barking laugh. "Somehow, I think sleeping would be difficult in that place. Good night, Professor." he said with a short bow.

"Good night, Draco."

* * *

Draco hurried down the stairs, only to find Maya, Harry and Hermione waiting for him. "What are you two doing here?" he asked them bluntly.

Hermione shook her head. "Like we would be able to sleep anyways. We got about seven hours until we are in the same house as _Voldemort_. There is no way I am sleeping tonight."

Harry shrugged his shoulders, nodding in agreement.

Draco sighed, before turning to Maya. "Where are you four sleeping, anyways?" he asked her.

"Oh, they set us up with a couple of rooms in the floor under us." she relied.

Draco stood there thinking for a bit. "You guys wanna go get snacks from the kitchens and hang out in the Astronomy Tower?" he asked them.

"Sure." Maya replied. Hermione nodded, and Harry shrugged again.

An hour later, they were all at the top of the tower, with random pastries and snack on plates surrounding them. Harry and Hermione were leaning on the rail, gazing out over the forest, talking about random rumors among the students. Who was dating who, who had a crush on who, and the like. Draco and Maya were sitting against the wall behind them. Maya was losing her mind over the flavors of the food, while Draco laughed at her.

"You don't understand, Draco. There is _nothing_ like this on Pandora. All we have are shitty M.R.E's and whatever Moxxi decides to make, which most likely will cause you internal bleeding." she said rapidly, before taking a huge bite of a cheese Danish. She practically swooned.

Draco laughed at her reaction, a huge smile on his face. He didn't notice Hermione look back at him, not did her notice her expression soften, or the longing look in her eyes. She turned back to Harry.

"I've never seen him so happy before. It's unnerving…" she muttered.

"Tell me about it." Harry replied. "I keep thinking this is all just a weird dream. At least he saw the light before it was too late. I don't with Voldemort on anyone, even Malfoy."

Hermione nodded, but stayed silent. She looked at Hagrid's hut, watching the smoke rising from his chimney.

"You still have your soft spot for him, then?" Harry asked under his breath.

Hermione jumped, startled at his question. She looked back at the other two quickly, but they were distracted by a chocolate frog. Maya was freaking out because it was moving.

"What are you talking about, Harry?" she asked quickly, fighting to keep her voice level.

Harry scoffed. "Please, Hermione. I may hang out with Ron all the time, but I am not as blind as he is. I've seen they way you looked at him before. And not with the hate and animosity that you do when we are right next to you, or he is right in front of you. You look at him like you would a hurt dog, wanting to save it and smother it with affection. I can't imagine this new leaf he has turned would make those feelings any weaker."

Hermione bit her lip, glancing back at the other two. Maya was eating the chocolate frog, while Draco unwrapped a Pumpkin Pastry. "Don't say anything, Harry." She finally replied. "He is so content right now that I don't want to ruin it for him."

Harry shook his head. "I won't, 'Mione." _Always the one to make the sacrifice for someone else_ he thought. He raised his Butterbeer to Hermione. "To a better future. For all of us."

She smiled, and touched her bottle against his. "To a better future."

They stood there in silence, letting the gentle breeze and the warmth of good company carry their troubles away. Tomorrow, all hell would break loose. But tonight, they were just happy to be together.

**A/N: Malfoy Manor. Nothing good ever comes from there. Except Draco. He's good. Kind of. LOL. Anyways, let me know what you think! Reviews get my writing juices flowing! **

**Quick Note: I originally advertised this as a Draco/Hermione story, but that most likely won't happen for a while. I won't abandon that idea, but for now, Draco and Maya are content, and Hermione is still deciding how she really feels about the old and new Draco. Sorry for that. But it will be worth the wait! I promise. I'll bet you 20 Galleons. -DeathDealerWolf**


	7. Chapter 7:Changes in the House of Malfoy

**A/N: What's this?! A new update without waiting a week and change for it? You must give me cookies for this. Or, you know, just read it. That's cool too. -DeathDealerWolf**

**Chapter 7: Changes (in the House of Malfoy)**

The cold air in the tunnel seemed to be pushing them out. A thick fog covered the floor up to their knees, causing them to stumble over loose rocks and random holes caused by various animals that lived on the property. Draco had often seen rabbits and squirrels living in the woods behind the Manor, so this didn't surprise him. He pressed on, not wanting to cast a spell to clear the fog, for fear of setting off one of the wards, or another unseen alarm.

There was a yelp behind him, and he turned to see Lilith slowly rising out of the fog, dirt covering the front of her clothes and face. Brick, Maya and Harry snickered.

"Real smooth there, Lil." Brick teased.

"Oh, shut it." she grumbled, brushing herself off.

Draco gave her a once over to make sure she was okay. Lilith nodded at him, and he took that as a sign she was okay. He continues down the path, clearing the random spider webs that hung in their way, and the occasional large spider.

"Oh, thank Merlin that Ron couldn't come." Hermione said. "He would have abandoned us four spiders ago."

Draco and Harry snorted, but said nothing.

They continued their slow advancement into Malfoy Manor for about ten minutes before running into a brick wall that caused the tunnel to end.

"This has got to be it." mumbled Draco. He ran his hands over the brick, and felt a strong magical energy that reached to his touch.

Dumbledore walked up next to him and examined the wall. "Hmm…" he pondered, studying the wall. After a few moments, he sighed. "Surely this was made before out time. So crude…" He turned to Draco. "Mr. Malfoy, I believe that this is a Blood Magic exit. It will only open for a Malfoy who resides here."

Draco groaned. "Great. Just what I was hoping for." he said sarcastically. He pulled out his wand and conjured a simple knife. He pressed the blade to his palm, before looking back at the group. "Is everyone ready?" he asked.

He received seven nods in return. Draco took a deep breath, and quickly slashed his palm, gasping at the sharp bite of the blade. Maya and Hermione gasped slightly, while Harry looked away. Draco gritted his teeth, and pressed his bleeding hand to the wall.

"Ancient and Noble House of Malfoy! One of your own is in need!" Draco spoke to the wall. The wall shuddered, causing dust and pebbles to rain down in the passageway. Draco covered him mouth and nose with his shirt, noting that everyone else had done the appeared between the bricks, and the wall swung forward.

Draco could make out the dungeons, before Dumbledore pulled him back. He entered the room with his wand out, looking for any dangers. Satisfied, he motioned everyone to follow him. Draco conjured some cloth for a bandage, but was having trouble trying to his hand.

"Here, let me help."

He looked up, surprised, as Hermione took the bandage out of his hand. She expertly tied the cloth around his hand, leaving some slack. "This might hurt a bit. Okay?" She looked up at him. He nodded, gritting his teeth. "On three. One-" On one, she pulled the bandage tight, causing Draco to wince in pain.

"Merlin, Granger! You said three!" he spat at her, his hand throbbing.

She rolled her eyes at him. "I said three because if you knew it was coming, you would tens e up more. This way, you were more relaxed, and it hurt less. Quit being such a baby, Malfoy." she huffed, before turning away.

Draco shot a glare at her, but couldn't find fault in her logic. He hated that. No one should be able to win _every_ argument. He turned, grumbling, to Dumbledore, who was looking over the door to the dungeons.

"What now, Professor?" he asked him.

Dumbledore continued to examine the door. "It seems that the door is charmed so you can't open it from the inside. It is made of heavy iron, which would take hours to cut through, and we can't afford to blast it open. The blast could reflect back towards us, causing a cave in. Also-"

He was cut off by Zer0 stepping next to him, and motioning for him to move aside. Dumbledore seemed a bit startled by it, but said nothing as he took a few steps back.

Zer0 pulled something out of his belt, and spread his feet into what Draco recognized as a fighting stance. "Maya" Zer0 said.

Maya nodded and stepped forward, her tattoos glowing.

Zer0 activated the item in his hand, and his sword materialized. With three perfectly placed slashed, the door frame was separated from the stone. As the heavy door teetered and began to fall over, Maya phaselocked it. She pulled it into the door, and threw it down the escape tunnel, where it landed with a heavy thud, muffled by the dirt.

Draco let out a low whistle. "Wish my father would have let me train with one of those instead of the stupid fencing sabers." Zer0 nodded at him, before turning off and sheathing his weapon.

Draco turned to Dumbledore, who nodded at him. "Go, Draco. And be careful. While you may be able to talk your way out of being captured, Miss Granger and Miss Maya will not. They will be right behind you under the Invisibility Cloak, so take care not to move to quick. The codeword will be… 'Eridium'." Dumbledore placed his hand on Draco's shoulder. "And remember what we discussed."

Draco nodded, and took a deep breath. "I will, Professor." He turned towards Maya and Hermione. "You two ready?" he asked them.

They nodded, and Hermione threw the cloak over the both of them. Draco heard Maya from under the cloak gasp. "Holy fuck, I need me one of these!"

Draco and Harry snorted again, while Brick and Lilith stared at where Maya and Hermione once stood. "That is pretty cool." Lilith remarked.

Draco shook his head to clear his mind. "Alright, let's move."

* * *

"Bloody hell, Malfoy, how big is your house?"

Draco grinned. "Shut it, Granger."

He heard a grumble behind him, but no other response.

They had been sneaking through the house for about fifteen minutes, running into two Death Eaters, who were quickly stunned and bound by Draco before they could raise an alarm. Draco figured that his parents would be in his Father's study, on the third floor. While getting out of the dungeons and making it up to the second floor was relatively easy, the way the stair were laid out forced them to walk to the other side of the manor to continue up. Draco knew that his father would normally Apparate around the manor, negating the need for stairs. While Draco could also, the ward would prevent Hermione and Maya from coming with him. So, they snuck their way around instead.

Five minutes, and two more Death Eater stunned later, Draco found himself outside his Father's study. He took a couple deep breaths, trying to slow down his rapid heartbeat. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and nearly jumped out of his skin. He bit his lip painfully to prevent a sound from escaping his mouth.

"Sorry" he heard Maya whisper. "I was just letting you know that we are right behind you."

Draco nodded, smoothing out his hair and trying to stop his ragged breathing. After a minute, he calmed down enough where he believed he could handle himself. "Okay." He whispered to them. "I'm ready."

He heard rustling under the cloak, and the sound of something metal rubbing against metal. "Let's go." he heard Hermione reply.

He took one last deep breath, and opened the door.

* * *

"What is taking them so long? Why haven't we heard anything yet?"

Lilith sighed, and shook her head. "Geez, kid, do you ever relax? You saw how huge this place was from the outside. You didn't really think they would be back in five minutes, did you?"

Harry shot her a dirty look, before turning back to Dumbledore. "What do we do, Professor?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "We must have faith that Draco can convince his parents to come with us. Other than that, all we can do is wait, and be ready. Should anything go wrong, Draco, Hermione and Maya will certainly try to get here as fast as possible. It is up to us to make sure that they have an exit to come to."

Harry sighed, frustrated. He ran his hand through his hair, obviously stressed. He shot a look at Brick and Zer0, who were guarding the door. "Hear anything?" he snapped at them.

Brick gave him a glare, which obviously meant that Harry was getting on his nerves, and shook his head. "I ain't heard shit. You, Z? he asked Zer0.

Zer0 didn't answer. Instead, he just stood still as a statue, staring at the door.

Lilith frowned, and walked slowly over to him. "Z?" she said softly. When Zer0 didn't respond, she went to put her hand on his shoulder, and let out a yelp when her hand went right through him. Harry and Dumbledore took a step back, as Zer0's hologram reoriented itself, before becoming still once more.

"Shit. He went after them." Lilith groaned.

* * *

"Mother? Father?" Draco called as he entered the room slowly. The study was dimly lit, with only one light near the door and the fireplace lit. Draco saw that two figures were sitting next to the fire, and hear them scrambling to their feet.

"Draco? Dear?" his mother asked. As she stepped into the light, Draco winced slightly. She had some nasty bruises on the neck and arms, and looked to be malnourished. "Oh Draco!" she cried, sweeping him into a hug.

Draco stiffened slightly, before wrapping his arms around his mother, and burying his face against hers. "Hello, Mother." He replied softly.

"What are you doing here, Draco?" he heard Lucius drawl from behind her. Draco looked up at him, taking his appearance in. He was dressed in his Death Eater robes, and it seemed like his hair was a bit thinner, and longer. She stood with the trademark Malfoy posture that seemed to radiate arrogance and power.

"I've come to talk to the both of you." Draco replied, letting his mother go. She pulled away from him, with tears in her eyes.

"Draco, you don't know how worried I was about you! What are you doing here? Surely your task hasn't been completed? We would have heard." his mother stammered, a dark fear evident on her face. Had her son become a murderer like the rest of them?

"No, Mother. My task has not been completed, and I believe it will never be completed." Draco replied curtly.

Lucius snarled, before pulling out his wand, and throwing Draco roughly against the wall. Draco, surprised at the speed of Lucius' attack, didn't have enough time to reach for his own wand. Lucius strode over to Draco quickly, before wrapping a hand around Draco's throat. "What do you mean 'it never will be completed'? Don't you know that you are the only hope to redeem the Malfoy name?! The Dark Lord will never accept your failure! He will kill you, your mother and myself for your weakness!" he spat, removing his hand, only to smack Draco hard across the face.

Draco's cheek stung with the strike, but he didn't make a sound. He stared defiantly back at his father, who sneered back at him. "What has happened to you, Draco? Do you not remember swearing yourself to the Dark Lord? Have you forsaken your sacred duty to him, and the Malfoy name?" He grabbed Draco's arm, and started to pull the sleeve up. "This mark is a sign of your-" Lucius' voice died in his throat as he gazed upon the pale, blemish-free skin of Draco's forearm. He stammered, taking a few steps back from Draco, who slid down the wall.

Draco groaned, massaging his throat, as he rose to his feet. "No longer, Father. I will not follow orders from a Half-Blood lunatic with a superiority complex." he growled at Lucius.

"How dare you?!" Lucius roared. "How dare you insult the-"

"How dare I?!" Draco yelled back at him, cutting him off. "How dare _you_?! How dare you lower the name of Malfoy to taking orders from someone else? For centuries, out name commanded fear and respect! We were gods, once. And you threw that away by following a Half-Blood who was angry at his mother for being a stupid, selfish Muggle lover." Draco relished the look of anger and pain that was plastered on Lucius' face as he threw in his face the truths he had learned from Harry the night before.

"Draco, dear." his mother spoke softly from the corner. "What is done is done. What do you expect us to do? The Dark Lord does not condone treachery or betrayal. He will kill you for saying such things. He will kill _us_ for not striking you down right now!"

"You will do no such thing!"

Draco spun, as Hermione and Maya revealed themselves. Hermione had her wand pointed at Lucius, where as Maya held a ball of purple energy in her hand.

"YOU?!" Lucius snarled, raising his wand to Hermione. "It is you who corrupted out son! What did you do, bed him and fill his head with sweet nothings, while you let yourself be used like Dumbledore's whore?!"

Draco let out a growl, but it was Maya who threw the ball of energy at Lucius. He staggered back, sputtering, as he was coated in a purple liquid that emanated purple vapors from it.

"You bitch!" he growled, before disappearing with a crack.

Draco spun frantically, knowing what was going to happen. Lucius appeared behind Maya, and held his wand to her throat. "Do anything, and she dies." he said coldly to Hermione.

To her credit, Hermione didn't reply, but kept her wand trained on Lucius, as Draco grabbed his and held it to his father as well.

Lucius snarled. "Still so weak! You couldn't even face us by yourself. You had to bring Potter's Mudblood and this exotic specimen here." He looked down at Maya, who was trying to free her neck from Lucius' arms. "Was it the Mudblood, or was it this one who turned you against you family, Draco?" he asked, a murderous gleam in his eye. "If so, I'd love to experience for myself just how 'convincing' she could be."

Draco snarled, and fired a jinx at Lucius' head. His father calmly deflected it. "Pathetic."

"Lucius, please! Let her go!" his mother pleaded.

"You shut your mouth!" Lucius snapped at her, and his mother cowered in fear.

Something in Draco snapped at that moment. How dare he abuse Mother… Draco launched himself forward, and swung a fist at Lucius.

Lucius was obviously not expecting his son to engage him in such a crude and barbaric manner, otherwise he would have been more prepared. He staggered back, losing his grip on Maya, who scampered away as fast as she could.

Draco let out a roar, and swung another fist at Lucius, causing him to double over in pain as he felt a rib or two crack. As Draco was about to aim a vicious kick at Lucius' lowered head, Lucius flicked his wand, and sent Draco flying. He rapidly disarmed Draco and Hermione, and put a Full-Body Bind on Maya.

Lucius wiped a bit of blood from his mouth, growling, as he levitated Draco so that Draco was immobilized in front of him. "What a waste. You could have been great, Draco. You could have been worshiped as a God. But no. You had to throw it away." He shook his head in disgust. "You are no son of mine."

Lucius conjured a sinister looking dagger from thin air. "NO!" his mother shouted, before being silenced by Lucius.

"Shut up, Narcissus! This boy will be the death of us all. He brought this upon himself." Lucius turned towards Draco once more. "This will only hurt a lot." he taunted him, before plunging the dagger into Draco's stomach.

Draco's eyes shot open at the fiery pain that assaulted him. This was no ordinary dagger. His entire body burned like a thousand, white hot knives cutting into his skin. He let out a loud groan, and collapsed on the floor, writhing in pain.

Lucius looked down on his son without an ounce of pity or remorse. "You are a Malfoy. That is the only reason I will spare you the full power of this weapon. Goodbye, Draco." he said coldly, raising his wand to point at Draco.

"NO!" Draco heard Hermione scream somewhere behind the fog of pain that had numbed his mind.

"Avada-"

Lucius let out a howl of pain as his hand, along with his wand, fell to the floor, sliced clean off of his body. He staggered back, clutching his not useless stump of an arm, confused and in pain.

His eyes widened in shock as a man in a black suit, with a black helmet coving his face materialized out of thin air, a wicked looking blade that glowed blue in his hands.

"Sorry, did that hurt? / That "sorry" was sarcasm / I am not sorry." Zer0 taunted him.

Narcissus scrambled from the corner, grabbing Lucius' wand, and quickly freeing Hermione and Maya. They both hurried to Draco, who was still rolling in pain.

"Draco! Draco, stay with me!" Hermione pleaded with him, holding his head up, as Maya checked the blade. She went to grab it, but yelped as she was shocked by an unseen force.

Lucius laughed behind them. "That is an ancient Blood Dagger, owned by the Malfoys since the 1600s!" He spat arrogantly. "It inflicts the Cruciatus Curse nonstop until the victim, dies from blood loss or goes mad from the pain. Only the wielder can remove it from his victim!"

Maya spun around and threw another slag ball at Lucius, who howled in pain as the slag burned at his wound. As she went to turn back around, she saw Lucius' severed hand next to her. She grinned, grabbing it. Using it, she wrapped his now cold fingers around the blade, and slowly pulled it out.

Draco let out a long groan as the blade left his body, and the pain slowly withdrew along with it. Narcissus rapidly conjured bandages and wrapped Draco's wound. As she pulled the wrap around his body tight, he let out a gasp of pain. "Fucking hell…" he muttered, and he struggled to get up. It took Maya and Hermione both to help him to his feet. Zer0 was holding Lucius at bay with this sword.

"Draco, dear. Drink this." Narcissus handed him a potion from the one of the desks. "It will stop the bleeding."

Draco looked up at his mother questioningly. Narcissus looked a bit hurt, but she nodded. "I understand, Draco. I do. But I know you came here for a reason. You came for us didn't you?" Draco nodded. "Then I am coming with you. I could not live with myself knowing my son made the right choice and I didn't support him."

"Narcissus! You will do no such thing!" Lucius yelled. "He has betrayed everything that this family stands for!"

Draco growled at him, and gritted his teeth in pain. He took the potion from his mother, and drank it down as quick as he could. He felt a warm pulse around the wound, so he could only assume it was working. He let out a small groan as he leaned down to pick up the dagger, coated with his blood. A look of fear flashed over Lucius' face, which only fed into Draco's anger. "What's the matter, Father? A Malfoy should never show his emotions. Isn't that what you taught me?" Draco glared at his father with a fury that he had never known before. His body shook with all of the pent up emotions raging through him.

Lucius sneered at him. "Of all of the things I tried to teach you, _that_ is one you remember? You disgust me. You are no heir of mine. You are not worthy of the name Malfoy!"

Draco smiled coldly at his father. "You are right, Father. I am no heir. I claim what is rightfully mine. I, Draco Lucius Malfoy, invoke the right of '_Sang Maintien de Ligne_'." Lucius let out a roar of fury. Draco smirked. "In order to preserve the continuation of our bloodline, you cannot be allowed to be Head of this family any longer. Goodbye, Lucius."

Draco plunged the dagger into Lucius' chest. Draco narrowed his eyes, and barred his teeth with a growl, before pulling out the dagger, and stabbing Lucius again. Lucius' eyes locked on his, and were filled with fear and rage.

"Draco! Stop!" he heard someone call behind him, but he ignored the voice.

He stabbed Lucius again. Lucius slowly slid down the wall, his eyes becoming unfocused. Draco knelt down in front of him, and held his head, so he looked into his father's eyes. "I will never be you, Lucius. I will never serve anyone. I will be what you were too weak to be. And I will make sure your 'Dark Lord' joins you in hell real soon." With that, Draco slashed Lucius across the neck violently, and swiftly stood up and walked away from his body.

Maya and Narcissus were staring at him, with looks of shock, and fear on their faces. Hermione was just outside the door, throwing up into a planter in the hallway.

Draco felt a tingling feeling on his hand and looked down to inspect it. An ornate, emerald ring materialized on his middle finger, with the words '_Chef de la chambre de Malfoy_' wrapped around the stone. It was done, then. Lucius had passed, and he was now the true Head of the House of Malfoy.

Zer0 stood near him, and bowed his head towards Draco. Draco stiffly nodded in reply, and walked out of the room, motioning to the others that they should follow. Maya held on to Hermione, and followed Draco and Zer0 as they walked back towards the dungeons.

* * *

"Eridium."

Brick and Lilith lowered their guns, and stepped out of the way, as the Malfoys, Zer0, Maya and Hermione climbed down the stairs. As soon as Zer0 entered the room, Lilith walked up to him and smacked his chest.

"What the hell were you thinking?! We could have needed you here, and you decided to go off and deviate from out plan?! What the hell, Z?" Lilith was glad to see everyone was okay, but she was still peeved at the fact he left without saying anything. When Zer0 didn't reply, she sighed loudly. "Why did you leave, Z?"

Zer0 looked over at Maya, who was helping Hermione walk to the exit, and remained silent. Lilith followed his gaze as best she could, considering she couldn't see his face. She quickly figured out why he left, and shook her head, nudging Zer0 with her shoulder. "Alright, Z. I get it. But no more going off solo, alright? We are still a team."

Zer0 nodded. "Understood, Lilith."

Draco walked up to Dumbledore. "Professor. We are going to need Fiendfyre to destroy this dagger." he said, handing the dagger carefully to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore took it, and inspected it closely. "It is a shame that there was a time where people believed that Dark artifacts such as this were necessary."

Draco scoffed. "What do you mean 'was', Professor? These people are alive right now."

Dumbledore nodded sadly at him. "Too true, Mr. Malfoy. What of your father, Draco?" he asked him, a hint of hesitation in his voice.

Draco lifted his hand to show him the ring. Dumbledore nodded, and said no more. He turned to the rest of the group, and motioned them to start making their way out. Draco hung back, making sure that he was the last one left. He placed his hand on the hidden door, and it swung closed behind him, the cracks sealing themselves up again.

By the time the group reached the end of the tunnel, the sun had just cleared the horizon. And by the time they returned to Hogwarts, Draco's nerves had reached their breaking point. As the rest of the group ascended the stairs to the Great Hall, he cleared his throat. "I'll be back in a bit." he said, before walking away towards the Quidditch Pitch.

Maya turned to watch him walk away. She bit her lip, before muttering to Lilith that she would be back later, and went to follow him. She didn't notice the faceless stare watching her run after Draco. Nor did Draco notice a certain Gryffindor looking crestfallen. Lilith did, and grabbed Zer0's and Hermione's hands, and led them into the hall.

* * *

Draco finally reached the top of the towers overlooking the Quidditch pitch. It was around eight in the morning, and the house teams wouldn't start practicing until ten or so. He sat down, and felt his body run cold as the adrenaline of the morning wore off suddenly. A huge sob chocked in his throat, and he buried his face in his hands. He heard footsteps on the stairs, and tried to compose himself.

"Draco?"

Maya stepped out of the stairwell, and slowly sat down next to him. There was an awkward pause, before she wrapped her arms around him, and hugged him tight. It was too much for him, and he broke down, sobbing.

"I couldn't stop, Maya."

"I know, Draco."

"Am I as dark as he is?"

"You are not, Draco. Your father killed for fun, and selfish reasons. You killed him to protect those you loved. There is no shame in that, Draco."

Draco buried his face in Maya's neck, and she held his head, running her fingers through his hair, whispering comforting words, and promising that everything would be alright. And as she held onto him, Draco almost believed her. But he knew better. Something inside him died that day. And he wasn't sure he would ever recover.

**A/N: Let me know what you think. Reviews are much appreciated! Till next time. -DeathDealerWolf**


	8. Chapter 8: Wanna Talk About It?

**Disclaimer: (Insert universal disclaimer here)**

**A/N: Root canal sucks. That is all -DeathDealerWolf**

**Chapter 8: Wanna Talk About It?**

"Hermione, just tell me what happened!"

"Harry, let it go. Please."

"No, Hermione. When you walked back into that dungeon, you were pale as Malfoy, and it was obvious you were sick. What happened in that house?"

Hermione growled in frustration. "Harry, Draco had to kill his father to save his mother. It wasn't an easy thing to witness. Let it go. Please."

Harry shook his head, sighing loudly. "But we knew that was probably going to happen." Harry thought for a moment, chewing his lip. "Was it because it was _Draco_ killing his father?"

Hermione paused for a moment. "Yes and no…" she replied slowly.

They were standing against the rail in the Astronomy Tower, both too worked up to do anything else. It was mere hours ago that they were in Malfoy Manor, and news of Lucius' death and Narcissus' escape had yet to spread. From where they were, they could see the Ravenclaw Quidditch team practicing on the pitch. Although Harry should have pounced on the chance to spy on the opposing team's practice, he found it difficult to concentrate. The look that Hermione had had on her face when she returned to the dungeons had been stuck in his mind evver since. He knew that she didn't have as strong a stomach as he did, but she wasn't squeamish. With all of the adventures and trouble they got into over the years, he wasn't sure he'd ever find something that fazed Hermione.

But apparently, whatever happened in Malfoy Manor did just that. Harry had a feeling that the plan didn't go as smoothly as he had thought. He briefly wondered if the Vault Hunter Zer0 had something to do with it, considering when he first showed up, he managed to crack her formidable shell. But he pushed that from his mind. She knew what kind of person Zer0 was now, and it wasn't like he would threaten any of them now that they were allies. So what was it?

Harry sighed. "Well, if you don't want to tell me, just know that if you need to talk about it, I'll be here, okay?"

Hermione bit her bottom lip, and nodded, before throwing herself at Harry, and pulling him into a tight hug. "Thank you, Harry." she mumbles into his chest.

Harry inwardly groaned, knowing she would hate him for what he was about to pull.

* * *

"Well, as soon as it became apparent that I was a Siren, I was taken in by the Order of the Impending Storm. They helped me train my Siren powers, and as soon as I was of age, they introduced me to the world as their goddess. They said I would save them. But I learned that they were only using me to keep the populous in check. No one would dare cross the Order if they had to face the wrath of a Siren…" Maya grumbled. "I was used. I was used like a two-dollar whore. And for what? To keep the Order rich? No fucking way. So I did the only thing I could do. I killed my handler, Brother Sophis, and I fled to Pandora so that I could finally learn what it really meant to be a Siren."

Draco squeezed his arm around her a bit tighter, and she smiled at his comforting gesture. "I can't imagine what it would be like to completely leave a _planet_ to escape my past. It must have been hard."

"Well, yes and no. It wasn't so bad, considering I didn't know or care about anyone on Athenas. So leaving was easy. On my way there, I met Zer0, Axton, Gaige and Salvador, who all were kind of on the same boat as I was, so we got along great. It was nice to have new friends, but it sucked that the rest of the planet wanted us dead, or for dinner."

Draco snorted, and rolled his eyes. "I think I would survive maybe five minutes on your planet before offing myself. No proper showers? No house elves? No, thank you."

It was Maya's turn to roll her eyes. "Sheesh, you are such a spoiled little shit."

Draco pretended to look offended. "Little?"

Maya laughed. "Not arguing the other two points, I see." Draco grinned and kept silent.

They continued their slow walk up to the Headmaster's office. Dumbledore had given the school an impromptu Hogsmeade weekend, so most of the castle was deserted. When there happened to be a random First or Second Year walking by, Draco had hidden Maya by pushing her against the wall and snogging her until the coast was clear. It probably wasn't the best way to stay hidden, but neither of them were complaining.

When they reached the corridor where the Headmaster's office was, they were greeted by Harry and Hermione coming from higher up in the castle.

"Hey, you two." Maya said, smiling. "How's your friend doing?"

Harry winced. "Actually, we're not sure. We haven't gone to see him yet. Hermione and I were in the Astronomy Tower."

Draco raised his eyebrows. Every Hogwarts student knew what went on in the Astronomy Tower. "Really? Interesting."

Hermione blushed scarlet, and Harry shook his head quickly. "Nothing like that, Malfoy. She just needed some fresh air."

"Whatever you say, lovebirds." Draco drawled, grinning like mad. "Now, if you two can keep your hands off of each other, maybe we can get this debriefing started."

"Oh, shut it, Malfoy." Harry growled, before muttering the password to the stone gargoyle, climbing up the stairs to the sound of Draco rolling with laughter.

* * *

"So as of right now, Malfoy Manor is being evacuated. The Dark Lord doesn't yet know who killed Lucius, or if Narcissus is still alive. We can only assume that he will soon contact Draco. He must assume that Draco knows already since the Malfoy Signet ring would have appeared on Draco's hand by now. So it might be best if Draco contacts the Dark Lord as soon as possible, _before_ the Dark Lord does. To not do so would raise suspicion, because if Draco knew nothing of the attack, he would undoubtedly be confused and worried for his father's well-being."

Draco looked at his Godfather questioningly. "What I don't understand is how the Dark Lord doesn't know that I am involved. I'm pretty sure that Macnair saw my face before I was able to stun him."

Snape tilted his head, confused. "Draco, there were no witnesses. Everyone who was patrolling the path you took to your father's study was dead."

Draco, Maya, and Hermione all turned towards Zer0, who shrugged. "They were in my way." he replied simply.

Maya's eyes narrowed at him, and she mouthed the word '_Later'_ to him. Hermione and Draco locked eyes for a moment. There was no way that the guards were in his way. Draco and Hermione had stunned and bound them. He obviously went out of his way to kill them. But why?

Hermione fidgeted nervously, breaking eye contact with Draco, and actively avoided looking back at him. Her opinion and conclusions about him had all gone right out the window the moment she saw him stabbing his father. She could understand that kind of brutality from the Death Eaters, but how was it that Draco, who supposedly loved his mother, and wanted to keep her safe could be so cruel as to take Lucius' life in such a fashion? Was it 'once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater'? Did Draco have a deeper hatred of his father that no one knew? Was it the money? Hermione shook her head. She would have to get answers to these questions, because after what she saw, there was no way in hell that she would let Draco go out on another mission for the Order.

She was snapped out of her musing by Harry nudging her shoulder. She jumped a bit, looking around startled. Everyone was looking at her, and she felt a blush rising in her cheeks.

"I'm sorry. What?" she mumbled.

Dumbledore smiled. "Sorry to interrupt what was obviously a very important internal discussion, Miss Granger. I was simply asking if there was anything else you would like to report about the mission to Malfoy Manor.

Hermione froze, just for a moment, before shaking her head. "No, Professor. I'm sure Malfoy's report summed it up nicely."

Harry scoffed, and everyone turned towards him. Hermione's eyes pleaded with him, but he refused to meet them. "Professor, something else happened in there. Something that seriously disturbed Hermione, but she refuses to tell me."

Hermione growled at Harry. "You said you would let this go, Harry. This doesn't concern you, or anyone else for that matter." The two friends glared daggers at each other. Harry opened his mouth, and was about to respond, but was interrupted by Draco clearing his throat, and standing up.

"Potter. Relax. This needs to be said, and it wasn't Granger's place to say anything. And for her keeping her silence, I thank her." he said, nodding to Hermione. She looked at him curiously, like he just sprouted a second head.

Draco sighed, and stepped forward, facing Dumbledore. "Sir, when we encountered my parents in my father's study, my father was… less than welcoming." Dumbledore nodded, but said nothing. Draco continued. "When we entered, he interrogated me as to why I was there, and asked if my task was finished. When I said that the task was never to be finished, he attacked me. During that attack, he discovered that the Dark Mark on my arm had disappeared. After that, he was furious, and I may have taunted him…" Draco looked at his feet, unsure of how to continue.

Maya stepped closer to him, and grabbed his hand, squeezing it comfortingly. Draco looked back at her, and smiled softly at her, before turning back to Dumbledore.

If she hadn't been looking for it, Lilith would never have noticed the slight change in Zer0's posture, or the inch that his hand moved closer to his sword. She groaned inwardly, and moved her hand closer to her gun, just in case.

Oblivious to the tension brewing behind him, Draco pressed on. "My father has never been someone I respected. Feared, when I was younger, and loathed when I was older, but never respected. He was a coward who relied on others to do his dirty work for him, and to take the blame if things went wrong. He just infuriates me." Draco shook his head, clearly still worked up.

"When Maya and Hermione showed themselves, Lucius insulted them, and Maya threw that purple stuff she has at him. He responded by Apparating behind her. My mother pleaded with him to let her go, but he just yelled and threatened her…" Draco's nostrils flared, and his eyes darkened. Everyone in the room was suddenly wary of him. Draco closed his eyes for a moment, trying to contain his emotions.

After a moment, he opened his eyes, and continued. "I attacked him. I punched and kicked him, but I left myself open because of it. He quickly disarmed Hermione and myself, and put a Full-Body Bind on Maya. He summoned the Blood Dagger and stabbed me with it." He paused for a second, the memory of the excruciating pain still fresh in his mind. "He was about to kill me, but Zer0 showed up in time and cut off his hand…"

Everyone looked at Zer0 again, who again shrugged. "What else was I gunna do?" Brick grinned and Lilith hid her smile under her hand, but everyone else involuntarily scooted away from him.

"Maya used his severed hand to remove the dagger, and Hermione and my mother tended to the wound. Zer0 had Lucius captured, so I picked up the dagger, and invoked the right of Maintaining the Bloodline. I deemed my father a threat to the continuation of the line of Malfoy, and…" Draco gritted his teeth. "I stabbed him… several times." Draco closed his eyes, ashamed of himself. "I stabbed him, and then I slashed his throat. He died almost instantly after that, because the Malfoy Signet Ring was on my hand not 10 seconds later."

Draco kept his eyes closed, the silence killing him. Finally, Dumbledore sighed.

"You all may go. Draco, a word, please." he said softly.

Draco tensed and visibly swallowed. Hermione and Harry stood up quickly, and left without a word. Maya squeezed his hand again. She leaned into his ear, and whispered, "You are _not_ him." Draco nodded slowly, and she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, before walking out of the room. The other Vault Hunters followed her, closing the door behind them.

Dumbledore sighed again, before looking at Snape. "Well?" he asked him.

Snape shrugged. "It is up to you. Technically, we are at war, and this did not occur within Hogwarts. And, forgive me for being blunt, Headmaster, but I doubt that the killing curse would have been any less damaging. Draco has long had issues with his father. Perhaps this way, he can put them behind him."

Draco felt a rush of gratitude towards his godfather, but he didn't let his face show it. He continued to stand there, awaiting his fate. "Sir, you told me that when the time came, I could do what I must. My father would not have allowed my mother and I to escape, and it would only have resulted in more casualties. Now, the Dark Lord is temporarily without a base of operations, and he has lost one of his best lieutenants. This was going to happen eventually, whether it be while I am still a student here, or in a few years."

Dumbledore looked intensely at Draco, as if studying him for the first time. Draco, and unbeknownst to him, Snape, held their breaths, waiting. Finally, after what seemed like an age, Dumbledore nodded. "Very well, Draco. But let me say this once, and only once. I understand that the relationship with your father was tense at best. But there are many student in this school who's relationships with you are not much better off. I want you to swear to me that this temper of yours will not show itself in such a fashion again. Is that understood, Draco?"

Draco nodded. "Absolutely, Professor. It was only him."

"And what will you do, should your temper be about to get the best of you?" Dumbledore asked him.

Draco, hesitated, thinking about it. "Well, I think the smartest thing to do would be to remove myself from whatever environment is causing me to feel that way, and seek out my godfather, you, or another teacher."

Dumbledore nodded. "Very good. However, should you find yourself in trouble, I do not believe that Miss Granger or Mister Potter would turn you away either." At the look of wariness on Draco's face, he continued. "I know that there is a great deal of mistrust and loathing between the three of you, but you all must push past it. You are all on the same team. They will be joining the Order officially soon, as will Mister Weasley. These people are your allies now, Draco. And if you cannot trust them, you cannot trust me."

Although he knew Dumbledore meant well, to Draco it felt more like he was being threatened to befriend the Golden Trio. He groaned inwardly. They would never live this down. "I understand, Professor."

Dumbledore smiled soflty. "Good. Now, you may go. Remember, you must send an owl to the Dark Lord soon, and you are not to give alliance with the Order until it is deemed necessary. We will also soon be teaching the four of you Occlumency and Legilimency. But we will get to that later. That is all, Master Malfoy." Dumbledore finished, with a twinkle in his eye.

Draco couldn't help but grin. _Master Malfoy_? He could get used to that. He bowed to the two Professors. "I take my leave, Professors."

* * *

Lilith sat in the common room of the tower that the Headmaster had given them, which was the door closest to his office, so they wouldn't have to risk running into the students should they need to talk.

Brick was in the kitchen, taking stuff out of the refrigerator and closing the door, only to open it again and find it refilled. He had already removed about thirty bottles of Butterbeer, a dozen sandwiches, and a platter of chips, which were surprisingly hot and crispy, despite being in the refrigerator.

"Man, Lil, we need one of these on Pandora." he drawled, as he grabbed as much of the food as he could, and carried it to the table.

"Are you going to eat all of-" Lilith froze at the look Brick gave her. "Right, stupid question. Forget I asked." Brick laughed, and sat down, taking a huge bite out a sandwich, which left about half of it remaining.

"The term 'rations' must not have been invented on Brick's home world." Maya teased. Brick ignored her pointedly by finished the rest of the sandwich in one bite, and moving on to the next one.

Maya and Lilith rolled their eyes, and left him to it. "So." Lilith said. "Was that kid that messed up after offing his dad?"

Maya smiled sadly. "Yeah. He's afraid that he's gunna turn out like his dad. It _was_ particularly brutal…" Maya thought back to now it happened. "At least Zer0 is quick and efficient. Draco really seemed like he wanted his dad to suffer. I can understand where he is coming from, but that level of hate? I doesn't seem like he has it in him."

Lilith nodded. "He hides it well. But you can tell it's there. That rage. If he doesn't take care of it, or find an outlet soon, he is going to go off, and it might not be on his enemies. Fuck, it's going to be Krieg all over again."

Maya laughed softly. "At least Draco can make full, complete, _sane_ sentences."

Zer0 stood near the door, listening to the Sirens talk, but not really paying attention. He watched Maya, pondering his feeling towards her. He had let her closer to him than he had let anyone before, but at the first sign of outside attention, she completely forgot about him. What was it that Draco had that he didn't? Was it the intimacy of contact? Was it the fact that he could easily kiss her?

He shook his head to clear it. First things first. If he wanted a chance at all, Draco had to be out of the equation. But he knew that if he did anything to him, she would never forgive him. So what to do? He wasn't as skilled in the opposite sex as Axton, or even Roland was. He needed advice. However, the only other person who knew how he felt, besides Lilith, was Moxxi.

He straightened his body a bit, an idea coming to him. He wasn't sure she would go for it, but it was worth a shot. He pulled a small message chip from his belt and activated it. He turned off his external helmet speakers and spoke directly into the chip. It glowed bright blue, before dissolving and disappearing in his hand.

If she could help him, he would forever be indebted to her. This feeling of reckless abandonment that he felt from Maya was insatiable, and he knew the only think that could help him was Maya herself.

* * *

Hermione threw herself on her bed, exhausted. The rest of the girls in the dormitory were already downstairs, or outside, so she had the room to herself. She groaned, and sat up again, realizing she was still in her dirty clothes, and would have to change into her pajamas before taking a nap.

As she took off her traveling cloak, she noticed a faint light coming from under her covers on the bed. Pulling out her wand, she pointed it at her covers, and with a flick of her wrist, she threw them off.

There was a small ball of bright blue light resting on her mattress. She studied it for a bit, before levitating it. As she moved it closer to herself, it shot out a sweeping line of light in every direction, and it swept downwards, covering the entire room. It scanned back up, but this time focused on Hermione's face. The light then beeped, and turned green.

"Miss Hermione." Zer0's voice echoed in the room, causing her to jump and frantically scan the room, expecting him to be in there with her. "No, I am not in the room." The voice said, answering her concern. His voice sounded odd. Softer, with less malice, and no speaker feedback. "I know that you have very little reason to trust me, but I am in need of your assistance. Can you please reply to this message by speaking into the light when it turns red? This is more of a personal matter, so I would appreciate it if no one else was aware I was coming to you. Thank you."

The light dimmed, then switched to a glowing red light. Hermione swallowed. What should she do? What could she possible help him out with that Professor Dumbledore, or his friends couldn't help him do? She took a deep breath, steadying herself, and spoke into the light. "Sure. I'll be right over. Just let me clean myself up a bit first." As she finished, the light dissolved in mid air, leaving no trace that it was even there.

Hermione groaned. "Can't anyone have a normal, relaxing day in this place?" she asked the empty room. She could almost hear the walls reply _No_.

**A/N: This chapter was kind of difficult to write, since nothing major really happens in it, but was needed to set up future events. It sucks when you get all these great ideas for future chapters, but still haven't reached there yet. Anyways, let me know what you think, and what kind of things would you like to see me add in the future. I think I have a nice balance of Drama and Action/Adventure, but I'm biased. Help me out. -DeathDealerWolf**


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